The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-09-06
COST OF KEEPING A MAN.
Estimated That the average Briton Lives
on sixty Dollars Year

Estimated That the average Briton Lives
sixty Dollars Year.
An active man. comfortably fed and
clothed. consumes about three pounds
of solids and four pounds of fluids per
day. and wears out about two suits OF
clothes in year.
The value of agricultural produce
garnered in the United Kingdom and
consumed by its human beings. taken
al present farm prices, is per annum)
about e23O. 900. OOQ The value of agri-
cultural pro iucts imported from
abroad and similarly consumed. taken
at similar prices. is per annuml about
geo. 000, 900. This includes cotton and
wool. The value OF coal similarly con-
sumed-burned for domestic purposes
taken at the full mine value Of 8
shillings per ton. is per annuml about
el6. 900. The sum spent in keeping
dwelling houses in repair is per an
NUM- about 80. 600. 600.
The total of these sums is ei56. 000,-
600. and IS the cost Of the nation for a
years food. clothing. firing and shell
ter. In other words. il is the sum paid
By the total population 10 those who
have direct access to nature, who labor
and gather her products for all Manu-
featuring. distributing and retailing
add about 80 per cent TO these values,
but the addition does not concern US
Four hundred and ffty-six million
pounds divided by the populationA3S-
O0O 600 gives el2 per head. which. there
O. = -, Il ~ -
ture annually consumed in the United
Kingdom by one human being, taking
both sexes and all ages and ranks to-
gether. In other words. this sum is
the annual average cost of a person.
Expenditure in the United Kingdom
averages $50 per head. but els of this
pays for services, not products-serv.
ices such as the manufacturing, distrib-
uting and retailing referred to above
and other services, all Of which support
persons who have no direct access to
the soil, and who, therefore, must pay
others for their share of its products.
Rich and poor men are of the same
size. \ millionaire's stomach and back
are automatically identical with those
of laboring man; therefore, equal
numbers of rich and poor consume
equal weights of produce in equal times.
But this is not the same thing as equal
values We have just seen that the
average value is el2, and we may fairly
take it that the case Of the agricultural
laborer will give US the minimum
value. An average British family is
husband, wife and three children. The
income of an agricultural laborer's
family leash and perquisites) can fairly
be taken at ESQ year. OF this they
will paw about half for services mot
products) to non-agricultural workers,
who may be summed up as grocer,
draper, schoolmaster, builder and po-
liceman, so that we have eos left as
the cost of the food, clothing. firing
and shelter of such family valued as
above. Say husband 81, wife &c, three
children ca each. This is minimum.
Much consideration has led me to de-
eide that as maximum we may fairly
take the imaginary case of man who
lives entirely on the most costly agri-
cultural produce that is garnered in
quantity-namely beef-steaks at Cd.
per pound farm value. At three
pounds per day. such a mans annual
cost for food will be EFT; sl3 more
(which would make $40 in ali) will
cover everything else that he person
ally consumes, for he shares his big
house with scores of other people an l
parts with his clothes to others when
they are as cool as ew.-London
Saturday Review.