Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MAY 16, 1911. RICHES AND POVERTY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10239, 16 May 1911, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MAY 16, 1911. RICHES AND POVERTY.

One of the most striking contributions to the debut© on the Navy Estimates in the House of Com!mons, as reported by Home papers, was made by Mr Ohiofcza Money. He pointed out that a nation with am annual moons? of close upon 2000 million pounds can well afford to spend 40 or 50 millions on a nary. <9?he trouble is, of course, that while the national income- reaches the magnificent total of close on 2000 millions, only about one-tenth of it i« devoted to national purposes. That is why the Navy Estimates, growing from year to year, threaten to become a crushing 'burden. A London correspondent suggests' that "tke remedy is not to cripple the navy, which is our all in all, our insurance against defeat and humiliation. Obviously what is needed is that a larger proportion of the income of the nation should b? devoted to national purposes. We allow too much of it to go into private hands, and worse still, to allow about 12 per cent, of the nation to approximate about half the 2000 millions of income." If anyone doubts this statement—it might well seem incredible— the correspondent ~ suggests that he should consult Mr Ghiozza Money'iS r-j&w work, "Riches and Poverty," 1910, (Methuen). The figures which he quotes, and which may be relied

upon for accuracy, reveal the appall- 1 ing gulf between rich and, poor in United Kingdom. Here are some of them:— The total aggregate income of the 44£ million people of the United Kingdom was in 1908-9 approximately £1,844,000,000. Of this sum 1,400,000 persona took £634,000,000;' 4,100,000 persons If. ok £275,000,000; 39,00C,U00 persons took £935,000,000. IWit ono-half of tlie entire annual income of thrnation is enjoyed' by about !- |*r cent, oi its population. It. .". probably true that a group of about 120,000 persons who, wi\'r their families, form about one-seventieth of the population, owns about twothirds of the entire accumulated wealth of the United Kingdom. The gross amount of profits assessed to income .tax was for the year 1908-9 £1,010,000,000, an increase of over 200 million in ten years. During the years 1900-1908 profits hava risen 21.2 per cant.; in the same period wages have risen by only one per cent. Though nominal wages have risen one per cent., real wages have fallen in consequence of the rise in the cost of living. This rise during has been nine per cent, Hence real 'wages have falleai eight per cent. Thus, we see that since \ 1900 -Jha rich b.«ve beco.ne 'lshf- • and. the poor poorer; the gulf between them has widened.