INCREASE IN THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM._London Labour and the London Poor, Vol. 2

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------+-----------+---------+---------+---------+ per Cent.

1821 |20,892,670 | | | |

1831 |24,028,584 |3,135,914| 15 | 1·4 |Annual Rate of

1841 |26,709,456 |2,680,872| 11 | 1·1 | Increase ·9

1851 |27,309,346 | 599,890| 2 | 0·2 | per Cent.

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Discarding, then, all conjectural results, and adhering solely to

the returns of the censuses, we find that, according to the official

numberings of the people _throughout the kingdom_, the increased rate

of population is, in round numbers, 10 per cent. every ten years; that

is to say, where 100 persons were living in the United Kingdom in 1821,

there are 130 living in the present year of 1851. The average increase

in England and Wales for the last 50 years may, however, be said to be

1·5 per cent. per annum, the population having doubled itself during

that period.

How, then, does this rate of increase among the people, and

consequently the labourers and artizans of the country, correspond with

the rate of increase in the production of commodities, or, in plain

English, the means of employment? _This_ is the main inquiry.

The only means of determining the total amount of commodities produced,

and consequently the quantity of work done in the country, is from

official returns, submitted to the Parliament and the public as part

of the “revenue” of the kingdom. These afford a broad and accurate

basis for the necessary statistics; and to get rid of any speculating

or calculating on the subject, I will confine my notice to such

commodities; giving, however, further information bearing on the

subject, but still derived from official sources, so that there may be

no doubt on the matter. The facts in connection with this part of the

subject are exhibited in the table given in the next page.

The majority of the articles there specified supply the elements of

trade and manufacture in furnishing the materials of our clothing, in

all its appliances of decency, comfort, and luxury. The table relates,

moreover, to our commerce with other countries--to the ships which find

profitable employment, and give such employment to our people, in the

aggregate commerce of the nation. Under almost every head, it will be

seen, the increase in the means of labour has been more extensive than

has the increase in the number of labourers; in some instances the

difference is wide indeed.

The annual rate of increase among the population has been ·9 per

cent. From 1801 to 1841 the population of the kingdom at the outside

cannot be said to have doubled itself. Yet the productions in cotton

goods _were not less than ten times greater in 1851 than in 1801_. The

increase in the use of wool from 1821 to 1851 was more than sixfold;

that of the population, I may repeat, _not_ twofold. In _twenty_ years

(1831 to 1851) the hides were more than doubled in amount as a means of

production; in _fifty_ years the population has not increased to the

same amount. Can any one, then, contend that the labouring population

has extended itself at a greater rate than the means of labour, or

that the vast mass of surplus labour throughout the country is owing

to the working classes having increased more rapidly than the means of

employing them?

TABLE SHOWING THE INCREASE IN THE PRODUCTIONS AND COMMERCE OF THE

UNITED KINGDOM, FROM 1801-1850.

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* „ decrease. | 1801. | 1811. | from 1801 | 1821. |from 1811 |

| | | to 1811. | |to 1821. |

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Soap in lbs. |55,500,000|80,000,000| + 44 | 97,000,000| + 21 |

Cotton „ |56,000,000|92,000,000| + 64 |137,000,000| + 49 |

Wool „ | | | | 10,000,000| |

Silk „ | 1,000,000| 1,500,000| + 50 | 2,250,000| + 50 |

Flax „ | | | | 55,000,000| |

Official Value of Exports[52] in £|24,500,000|21,750,000| * 11 | 40,250,000| + 85 |

Official Value of Imports „| |25,500,000| | 29,750,000| + 17 |

to British Empire | | | | 2,560,203| |

Ports | | | | 1,895,000| |

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+-----------+------------+------------+---------+------------+---------+---------+-----------

| | to 1831. | |to 1841. | |to 1850. | | per Cent.

+-----------+------------+------------+---------+-----------+----------+---------+-----------

|127,500,000| + 31 |170,500,000 | + 34 |205,000,000 | 20 | 269 | 5·3

|273,000,009| + 99 |437,000,000 | + 60 |664,700,000 | 52 | 1087 | 21·7

| 30,000,000| + 200 | 53,000,000 | + 77 | 72,675,000 | 37 | 627 | 20·9

| 4,250,000| + 89 | 5,000,000 | + 18 | 7,159,000 | 43 | 616 | 12·3

|104,000,000| + 89 |151,000,000 | + 45 |204,000,000 | 35 | 271 | 9·0

| 56,500,000| | 73,000,000 | + 29 |117,447,000 | 61 | 108 | 5·4

| 26,000,000| | 51,000,000 | + 96 | 66,300,000 | 30 | 155 | 7·7

| 60,000,000| + 49 |101,750,000 | + 70 |197,309,000 | 94 | 705 | 14·1

| 48,250,000| + 62 | 62,750,000 | + 30 |100,460,000 | 60 | 294 | 7·3

| | | | | | | |

| 2,581,964| + 1 | 3,512,480 | + 36 | 4,232,962 | 21 | 65 | 2·2

| | | | | | | |

| 3,241,927| + 71 | 4,652,376 | + 44 | 7,110,476 | 53 | 274 | 9·1

+-----------+------------+------------+---------+------------+---------+---------+-----------

Thus, it is evident, that the means of labour have increased at

a more rapid pace than the labouring population. But the increase

in “property” of the country, in that which is sometimes called the

“staple” property, being the assured possessions of the class of

proprietors or capitalists, as well as in the profits, prove that,

if the labourers of the country have been hungering for want of

employment, at least the wealth of the nation has kept pace with the

increase of the people, while the profits of trade have exceeded it.