168 KEroRT— 1877. 



Census return of industrial and commercial 7,500,000 



AM £ of agricultural class -who do not produce food 750,000 



Deduct : 8,250,000 



Producers of foreign food 1,500,000 \ mn nnn 



„ necessaries for producers 500,000 J -) wu >WO 



6,250,000 

 „ necessaries for industrial workers 750,000 



5,500,000 

 Assumed to be employed in manufacturing necessaries 2,500,000 



Leaving for the production of superfluities 3,000,000 



The powers of the whole population will thus be expended : — 



In the production of food 4,250,000 



„ „ other necessaries . , 3,250,000 



„ „ superfluities 3,000,000 



10,500,000 

 Consumers only 21,000,000 



31,500,000 



Although resting upon a sound basis, as regards the numbers employed and the 

 class of occupation, these calculations can only claim a presumptive accuracy as to 

 the purposes which such employment serves. There is not much reason to question 

 the proportion of the nation's power assigned to the production of food; but 

 opinions may differ as to how much is required for the supply of its necessities, 

 and the degree in which the product of the remainder is to be considered essential 

 to comfort and happiness, or to be looked upon as unnecessary or even hurtful. It 

 is not, however, requisite that there should be precise agreement on these points. 

 Let it be granted that, after providing the means of subsistence (whatever that may 

 be deemed to include), there is any surplus at all, the national welfare cannot really 

 be imperilled by its existence. That such is the case needs no proof. The rapid 

 growth of its wealth, the luxurious living of so many of its members, and the 

 ability of so many to exist and spend without any labour, all prove that the means 

 of subsistence have hitherto kept ahead of the increase of the population. 



III. Another line of argument, founded also upon the Census Returns, will lead 

 up to the same conclusion. Dividing the whole population, as ascertained in 

 1871, according to sex and age, we find that there were 15,301,830 males and 

 16,182,831 females, viz. :— 



Males. Females. Both sexes. 



Under 15 years 5,706,589 5,383,083 11,090,272 



Over 65 „ 721,997 501,306 1,223,303 



Wives and women per- 1 



forming household I 5,058.298 5,058,298 



duties ) 



6,428,586 10,943,287 17,371,873 



Between 15 and 65,) 



excluding household \ 8,873,244 5,239,544 14,112,788 



women ) 



15,301,830 16,182,831 31,484,661 



In making this division, it is assumed that the working period of life is be- 

 tween 15 and 65, whilst all under and over those ages are unable to labour for 



