AN ENQITIPvY. 



io 



total earnings of the nations." Agricultural 

 interests stand, indeed, at tlie highest point in 

 Russia, and lowest in Great Britain and Holland 

 — the former (Great Britain) a free-importing 

 country and the latter (Holland) largely so, 

 whilst Russia is largely Protectionist. 



LABom AND Wages, Heue and Abroad. 



The following table gives the average rate of 

 agricultural labourers' wages per week in the 

 countries indicated, and at the dates named : — 



Agricultural labour in En^^land has diminished 

 since 1880; whilst in the States especially wages 

 have gone up, and are still doing so. In Eng- 

 land, therefore, with a diminishing labour supply 

 the farmer's lot is not a happy one. The average 

 rate is not, in our experience, so high in England 

 to-day as is stated ; but, in any case, wages have 

 increased all over the Avorld, and not with us 

 alone. In England, however, the labourer to- 

 day misses the perquisites he used to get. In 

 Cobden's time wages were low because the 

 farmers had rural districts which were over- 

 populated. Cobden admitted this in his speeches 

 (see pages 58 and 57). 



