280 



BEPORT 1881. 



Sugar . 



Tea 



CofEee and Cocoa 



Beer 



Spirits . 

 Wine 



Gross, per day 

 d. 

 •50 

 •60 

 •05 

 1-40 

 •75 

 •16 



Net, per dav 

 d. 

 •46 

 •16 

 •04 

 •54 

 •14 

 •10 



^■&0d. 



6-49fZ. 



The consumption of imported articles of food and drink lias largely 

 increased of late years, as will be seen from the following comparison of 

 the quantity retained for home consumption per head of the total popu- 

 lation of the United Kingdom in 1840, 1860, and 1880, as given in the 

 statistical abstract : — 



A. large consumption of articles of food in great part imported is 

 a sign of general prosperity, and is conducive to greater effectiveness 

 of labour. There is no reason to suppose that home production has 

 diminished of late years, except indeed as the consequence of deficient 

 harvests on special years. The increasing imports therefore denote so 

 much additional food consumed by the people.- Mr. Stephen Bourne, in 

 his interesting paper' ' Oii our increasing dependence upon foreign sup- 

 plies of food,' said, ' To be thus dependent' upon extraneous sources for so 

 large a portion of the national food may probably, to some minds, be the 

 occasion of much anxiety^ as rendering our very existence precarious, and 

 as being derogatory to our national pride ; but -provided our circum- 

 stances be such as to preclude it resulting in financial embarrassment we 

 shall find it to be in eyery respect advantageous; or at least to have so 

 many benefits connected with it as to far, 

 an opposite character.' 



outweigh any consideration of 



• Articles op Dress. 

 Let us now pass \,o the amount expended in articles of dress. 



Cotton. 



According to Messrs. Ellison's Cotton Circular the home consumption 

 of cotton was, in 1880, 184,373,000 lbs., which at the average price of 

 2-94c^. per lb. would cost 2,250,000^. Taking 4^ yards for every pound 

 of cotton, the number of yards produced would be 82^,678,000. The 

 average price of piece goods, -white, printed, &e. ex,ported in 1880 was 

 3'16t?. per yard. Assuming 5cZ. per' yard for the- cotton goods consumed 

 at home, their co§t would be 17,280,0007. To this there must be 

 added 1,500,000L tlie value of lace, and 4,000,000?. of hosiery, besides 

 3,100,000L, the value of cotton manufacture imported, making in all 



