TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 



737 



want of refjular employment, owing to the existintr condition of agriculture, would 

 be best assisted to secure maintenance for themselves and families. 



TUESDAY, AUGUST 14. 



The following Reports and Papers were read : — 



1. Report of the Coynmittee on Methods of Economic Trahiing in this 

 and other Countries. — See Reports, p. 365. 



2. Report of the Coimnittee on Teaching of Science in Elementary 

 Schools. —See Report.s, p. 359. 



3. On the Relation between Wages and the Numbers employed in the 

 Coal-mining Industry. By R. H. Hooker, M.A. 



The influence of wages in attracting labour to an industry is best shown by means 

 of a diagram, and the industry concerning which we possess the most trustworthy 

 statistics of wages and of the numbers employed over a series of jears is un- 

 doubtedly coal mining. The data concerning this occupation have accordingly 

 been plotted on the annexed dianrrani, in which the upper (continuous) line repre- 

 sents the course of wages in 1871-91 in the county of Durham (according to the 

 evidence of Mr. L. Wood before the Labour Commission '), while the lower 

 (dotted) line shows the number of persons employed in coal mining in the same 

 county (taken from the annual reports of the mining inspectors). The wages 

 are expressed in percentages above or below the rate paid in 1871. 



Wages. 



Wages. 



Per Cent. 



above or 



below 1871 



60 



50 



40 



30 



20 



10 



Level of 1871 



-10 



Numbers 



employed 



90,000 



85,000 



80,000 



75,000 



70,000 



65,000 



60,000 



55,000 



The correspondence of the two curves is very apparent, and, judging by the 

 magnitude of the fluctuations, it would seem that the variations in the number 

 of the emploijes must be attributed almost entirely to the chano-es in wao-es. 

 Especially the very large increase of miners in 1872-74 and 1889-91 can hardly 



1894. 



Pari. Paper, C. 6,708, iv. 



3b 



