The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-25 00:00:00

WHAT BECOMES OP THE INCREASED IrACES.

Wren the British Ilearerrie Berl: r.)

Employers frequently complain that the increased
earnings of their workpeople, during periods of pros-
perity, are chiefly spent in drinking and. debauchery ; many
of them even arm that, as a general ride, the working
clones are more comfortable wh.a their earnings are mode.
rate, than when they are receiving eery high wages. The
best answer to this account of the industrial clues is, to
compare their condition during the last year or two, in
which the average sum earned pie head, throughout
the Unitea Kingdom, has been higher than ever was
known before, with their condition during any period of
bad trade, r dated wages, and scarcity of employment.
In order to make the comparison fairly and satisfac-
torily, we must look, not merely at some particular
factory or some isolated trade, bat at the way in which the
collective people of England spend their hard-earned
wages. 18 bat is tree with regard to an individual, is
equally true with regard to a nation. If • man who
ear OS flre shillings a week more in 1852 than he did in
1842, hi sees to spend the greater part of that additional
sem en tea, soiree, sugar, butter, cheese, and other articles
of food, we naturally conclude that be must have been
pinched in his circumstances before, and that he and his
family are now somewhat comfortable. It is precisely the
same with the nation at large. In 1852, Great Britain ma-
nufactured some 800,000 or 900,000 bales of cotton more than
it bad done in 1842; and at the same time produced more
coal, more iron and cutlery of all kinds, mere RIMS, china, and
re earthenwa, morn broadcloth, blankets, carpets, and every
other kind of woollen fabric; imported more timber, built
more houses, made more furniture, and, in short, produced
every sort of useful or ornamental commodity in greater
&bandits°, than it had ever done in a single year at any
former period. Take two items as a sample of the progress
we have made in production within these ten years:—ln
1842, we imported 1.314,894 bales of cotton • in 1852,
2,351,422 balm. Is 1842,we imported 527,327 loads of foreign
and colonial timber; in 1852, 2,090,914 lo•ds—an increase
of about 300 per cent. With such an enormous bureau of
work, the nation earned much higher wages, and, as •
natural consequence, the national busekeeping account,
so far as we can form a rough estimate, from • comparison
of the Custom-house returns at the two periods, exhibits a
correopondieg increase.
The following comparison of the respective quantities
taken for consumption at the two periods of some of the
larger items of our national grocery and foreign pros ion
account, will show that although the gross population of the
United Kingdom is net much larger than it was ten years
ago, the consuming power of the people most have made
astonishing progress within that period:-
1842. 1852.

Sugar ewts. 3,868.466 .... 7,172,847
Molasses do. 699,640 .... 809,286
Tea lb.. 37,35.5,911 .... 64,713,034
Coffee do. 28,619,616 ..., 34,977,953
Butter ewe,. 180.282 .... 286 385
Cheese do. 178,9:4 .... 279 375
Eggs no. 89,648,747 .... 108,278,539
kite cw*.s. 28.2,430 .... 652.624
Currants do. 106.379 .... 342,337
Raisins do. 186,240 .... 228,386
Apples bhls. 111,678 .... 372,118
The most remarkable item in this hill is the increased
ooruiumption of sugar—from 3,868,466 cwt. to 7,172,847ewt.
The large reduction in the rate of duty has no doubt had
some effect in producing the result; but the principal cause
has beet, the improved condition of the labouring classes, as
is proved by the increased consumption of tea, which had
risen from 37,353,911 lb. to 54,713,0341 h. within the same
period, although there had been no reduction of duty. In
coffee there is nut so great an increase as might have been
expected, but that is said to be owing to the introduction of
chicory, which prevails to so large an event as to check the
consumption of the genuine article. As regards the home
counterfeits of tea. from e and hawthorn leaves, we must
either suppose that the tea dealers are less given to adulte•
ration, or that the public cannot be so easily imposed upon
by British imitations of souchong and twankay.
Protectionist grumblers, who are unwilling to see anything
Peen
in our condition because the corn laws have
been abolished, contend that this increased consumption of
comtsrts and luxuries is no proof that a corresponding im-
provement has taken place in the condition of the /about,
ing classes. It is true that the nation has consamvd more
tea and sugar than formerly ; but, an we quite sure that the
poor have had a fair share of the increased quantity? Oa
that point we cannot pretend to give any accurate data.
which would show the precise mode in which the addHooal
3,304.381 cwte. of sugar, the 17,3.57,1231 b. of tea, and all the
other commodities have been distributed. In spite of all
Our prosperity, there are. doubtless, many of our popula-
tion who um still condemned to live on narrow supplies. In
the main, however, we may take for granted that the in-
enacted quaati,y of food has gone to the right quarter.
Reasoning fr..rn general principles, we may safely minded*
that the wellthy and middle class consumed as much colo-
nial produce in 1842 as they could desire, and that, conse-
quently, they were not likely to increase their cousurnp-
thin greatly in 1852. The obvious inference, then, is, that
sir increased import of the articles we have named must
have been chiefly ellniellieti by the labouring claws.