WEALTH AND EARNINGS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2417, 5 October 1886, Page 2

WEALTH AND EARNINGS.

[Condonsed from. Mulhall's History of . Prices."]

If we can judge nations by the accumulated wealth to population, the United Kingdom comes first, Holland second, France third, Denmark fourth, Australia fifth, and the United States sixth ; if by the avorage ewnings per inhabitant, the order is Australia, the United. Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Holland, France. • " i\ In 1880, the wealth of twenty nation's amounted to 80,700 millions sterling and their annual earniugs to 7,300 millions.

Lands, o:\ttlo, and farming imjilumeats make up 40 p<ir oentV ol the total wealth. Houses constitute "oliq-fourth, vavyitig from £ll per inhabitant in JRuesia to £OS in Great Britain, in .which latter country tho average viilue lif housn property per hood"has .risuii"7spercent.since 1851. Houao runt takes the.labor of twenty* soveu days m each year 'of 300 working days iu Europe and thirty in tho United States; :

Public works, including over 4000 millions sterling'for railways, repretanfc nearly 5,500 millions.;;; Excluding'!ways the 'value of public workß jpißS than £4 per inhabitai'itiji Spain, and over £ls in Groat Britain or Franco. Three countries, viz., Great Britain, ■France, and tho United States, represent one-half tho total Wealth of the priucipal nations referred to;: .. ; Earnings por amount in Australia to about L 43 4s per auuum, in - Groat-Britain L 35 2s, United States iiv 2s, Canada L 26 9s, Holland L 26, Franca L 25 75,, Itappears that about 44 per j cent, of the earnings of mankind aro agricultural; but in the United Kingdom the ratio does not excoed twenty-one, and even iu ' the United States it iB but. 38 per cent. The total expenditure of tuitions averages 6d daily per inhabitant for food, 2d for clothing, aud 4d for rent,, taxes, and suudries, in all a shilling a day.-' In tho United Kingdom, liowover, it is over 20d per day, aud in both : the United States aud Frauce over lod. After payiug for;food, clothing, rout, and taxes, au ; Englishman has.ninekwie ... days of the year, or their leisui'e or luxuries, an Americanos Gorman 40, and a Russian 14. The relative wealth or surplus for leisure, determines hot only house-jqnt, but the prices of many articled of luxury in- tho. various countries. , The principal" countries of . Europe, combined with,tho Unitod States, make up a total of 88 millions of able bodied mon, of whom'a little more tliaii half are engaged iu agriculture.; In the Unitgjfii Kingdom the. percimtago engagedrar agriculture is only 14.5 as agaiiist 20.2 in in the United States 26.1 as atraiaat 23.6; in France against 16 8; in Russia 80.8,'agaiuBt 29.