Meanwhile, there are calculations upon the growth of wages and other incomes. One of these, the latest that I know of, is given herewith:
Year. | Total Annual Wage Income. | Income Not Arising From Wages. | ||||
Subject to Income Tax. | Not Subject to Income Tax. | |||||
Million Pounds Sterling. | Per Cent of Total Social Income. | Million Pounds Sterling. | Per Cent of Total Social Income. | Million Pounds Sterling. | Per Cent of Total Social Income. | |
1860 | 392 | 47 | 376 | 45⅓ | 64 | 7⅔ |
1866 | 464 | 45 | 485 | 47 | 81 | 8 |
1870 | 486 | 44½ | 521 | 48 | 85 | 7⅓ |
1874 | 609 | 45¼ | 635 | 47¼ | 100 | 7½ |
1877 | 591 | 43 | 652 | 47⅓ | 130 | 9⅓ |
1880 | 567 | 42 | 652 | 48½ | 126 | 9⅓ |
1883 | 609 | 42⅔ | 696 | 49 | 122 | 8½ |
1886 | 605 | 42 | 715 | 49½ | 125 | 8½ |
1891 | 699 | 43½ | 782 | 48½ | 130 | 8 |
Many observations can be offered against this presentation. It appears to me too optimistic and gives the appearance of a much greater increase in wages than actually exists. In the reckoning of the total wages the compiler took no notice of the unemployed and besides this he omitted to note a whole list of important variations inside of the laboring class which, if considered, would greatly change the result. As a statistician, to be sure, he undoubtedly has the right to do this, but these are just the factors that change things to the disadvantage of the laboring class. Such are, for example, the relation between male and female labor and between skilled and unskilled labor.
Of still greater consequence is the fact that