The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-09-17 00:00:00

STATISTICS OF EMPLOYMENT.

There is an immense number of important facts to be
gathered from the " Occupation Abstract" of the popu-
lation commissioners as given in the census returns of
1841.

With respect to the comparative numbers of the popu-
lation engaged in manufactures (properly so called) and
agriculture respectively, it will be found that the former
constitute something more than one-sixteenth, the latter
something more than one-twelfth, of the whole popula-
tion of great Britain. Of the whole number of paupers
(100,529) within the walls of workhouses on the night of
the 6th of June, 1841, the agricultural labourers (3,555)
form something more than 1-28th part. The largest
class of paupers in workhouses was " servants (domestic)"
5,401, of whom the principal part were women. The
whole number under the head " servant (domestic)" in
Great Britain is 1,113,007. We have noticed the imper-
fection of the returns in some points ; as, for instance,
the return of seven oculists and four aurists for all Great
Britain. In some points of arrangement they are equally
deficient. Thus there is no head of cook nor of confec-
tioner, nor of drover : then we have " cupper and den-
tist," " corn cutter," and " scrivener," under the general
division of " professional persons." By the way, some
people will scarcely believe that there are only 279 match-
makers in Great Britain. Again, under the general di-
vision of " educated persons," we have " aeronaut" and
" ventriloquist." If you want to find the head " post-
boy," you discover it clubbed with " coachman" and
" coach-guard." Some of the heads want explanation.
What is a " portioner ?" Probably, however, these
faults are mostly attributable to the caprice of the
parties making the returns and answers, rather than
to want of diligence in the enumerators. There are
no fewer than 1,097 persons employed in the destruction
of vermin in Great Britain. The subject is too ticklish
to admit of remark.

It is manifest, we think, from the tables,. that there are
sundry occupations enumerated. in which people have
an inclination to shirk returning themselves as engaged,
their return being made under some. more. eligible or
high-sounding denomination, but this ambition does
.not
appear to go the length of disclaiming all occupation.
The head of persons returned as of independent means is
only 511,440, or somewhat over two per cent. of the
whole population—a strikingly small proportion in so
rich a country as this, and showing conclusively that in-
dustry is the rule of English society, and idleness the
exception. The fact stands out still more clearly on ob-
serving that of the above number 373,633 are females.
The Commissioners have gone out of their way to obtain
an account of the previous occupations of the inmates of
gaols, hospitals, workhouses, and lunatic asylums, on the
night of the 6th of June, 1811. It is creditable that of
22,330 prisoners in gaols, only 340 belonged to the army,
17 to the navy. On the other hand, there were under the
head " attorney, solicitor, and law-student," 49 ;
" banker," 10; " barrister," 7 ; "surgeon," 20. It is
to be observed, however, the tables include debtors as well
criminals.

There were 11,218 persons confined in lunatic asylums.
The following are some of the heads :—" army," 232 ;
.. navy," 46 ; " barrister," 10 ; " attorney, solicitor, and
law-student,' 50 ; " clergyman," 39 ; " servant" (do-
mestic). 864—the largest denomination. 288 were returned
as of independent means. This part of the tables we regard
as the least satisfactory of the whole. For every 10,000
persons throughout the population, the following are the
proportions of the inmates of the above four institutions ;
—ln workhouses, 62 ; hospitals, 5 ; gaols, 11 ; lunatic
asylums, G. Somme arithmetical results of ie tables may
be worth notice.
In England, Wales, and the isles of the British Seas,
there are 252,192 farmers and graziers ; in Scotland,
54,873 ; together, 307,065. There are 1,127,115 agricul-
tural labourers in Great Britain, which gives an average
of nearly four labourers to each master agriculturist. In
England and Wales there are 13,255 nurses returned,
which gives one nurse for every 1,210 of the population.
In Scotland, according to the returns, there are no nurses.
There are in Great Britain 4.283,247 males, 4,301,300
females returned as under 20 years of age ; together,
8,584,547 ; but there are, it seems, only 59,745 persons
occupied as educators, including " all branches" and
either sex, which gives one teacher for every 143 young
persons—a suspicious result, which becomes more sus-
picious when we remember that, in addition to the above
numbers, nearly 11,000,000 persons, classed as " residue
of the population," being unreturned, contain about 31
per cent. males, and 33 per cent. females, under 20.
The principle of shirking seems to have been at work
here. Few men like to write themselves down school-
masters. So in the metropolis, to a population of 1,873,676,
only 7,138 persons place themselves under the very com-
prehensive head, " schoolmaster, mistress, or assistant,
tutor or governess."
The number of domestic servants for the metropolis
(of whom 39,300 are males) gives about one for every 47
of the inhabitants ; the proportion throughout Great
Britain is one for every 16 persons; that of the county of
Westmoreland one for every three. In the metropolis
there are 834 clergymen, or one for every 2,246 persons
ryrseovnert;
the proportion throughout Great Britain is one f
12,892 ; the proportion for Westmoreland (the pattern,
county in many respects) is one for every 262.