835] Machinery and Labor 37 



Finding the difference between these several pairs of 

 per cents, and representing increases by positive num- 

 bers and decreases by negative numbers, we get the per 

 cent of those engaged in gainful occupations who have 

 shifted to or from the several occupation classes, during 

 the period from 1870 to 1900, as follows: 



Agri- Prof. Dom. & Trade Mfg. & 



cut- scr- personal and tnech. 



ture vices services Transp. arts 



United States . . . . n.9 l . . 1.3 . . i.o . . 6.6 . . 3.0 



North Atlantic div. . 12.4 . . 1.4 . . 0.2 .. 7.6 . . 3.2 



South Atlantic div. . 13.0 . . i.o . . 2.5 . . 4.6 . . 4.9 



North Central div. . 15.9 . 1.6 . . 1.7 .. 8.1 . . 4.5 



South Central div. . 8.1 . . 0.7 . 1.2 . . 3.8 . . 2.4 



Western div. . . . o.i . . 2.6 . . 3.6 . . 7.0 . 6.1 



1 This 11.9 per cent does not mean that there was a decrease, abso- 

 lutely ', in the number of those engaged in agriculture, but only rela- 

 tively, and in this sense ; that, whereas the number of those engaged 

 in agriculture increased during the period from 1870 to 1900, the in- 

 crease was FO much less than in the other occupation classes that this 

 particular class failed, by a number equal to 11.9 per cent of the total 

 number engaged in gainful occupations in 1900, to maintain its former 

 proportion. A similar remark applies to each one of the other cases 

 where a negative number appears. The decrease in the class of those 

 engaged in manufactures and Mechanic arts, in the Western division 

 is due to the fact that, under the classification used, miners and 

 quarryinen are included in that occupation class. In 1870, these 

 workers constituted a high proportion of the total number engaged in 

 gainful occupations in that division. 



