An Essay Towards Regulating the Trade, and Employing the Poor of This Kingdom: Whereunto is Added, an Essay Towards Paying Off the Publick DebtsCary, John
History
An Essay Towards Regulating the Trade, and Employing the Poor of This Kingdom: Whereunto is Added, an Essay Towards Paying Off the Publick Debts
Cary, John
Great Britain -- Commercial policy; Great Britain -- Economic conditions -- 18th century; Poor -- Great Britain
As to the first, our Product, I am of opinion, that the running down
the Labour of the Poor is no advantage to it, nor is it the Interest
of that part of the Kingdom called _England_ to do it, nor can the
People thereof live on so low Wages as they do in other Countries;
for we must consider, that Wages must bear a Rate in all Nations
according to the Price of Provisions; where Wheat is sold for One
Shilling _per_ Bushel, and all things suitable, a labouring Man may
afford to work for Three Pence a day, as well as he can for Twelve
Pence, where it is sold for Four Shillings; and this Price of Wheat
arises chiefly from the Value of Land; For it cannot be imagined,
that the Farmer who gives Twenty Shillings _per_ Acre, can afford it
as low as he whose Lands cost him but Five Shillings _per_ Acre, and
produces the same Crop, nor can Labour be expected to be so low in
such a Country, as in the other; This is the Case of _England_, whose
Lands yielding great Rents, require good Prices for the Product; and
this is the Freeholders Advantage; for supposing Necessaries to be
the Current Payment for Labour, in such cases, whether we call a
Bushel of Wheat One Shilling, or Four Shillings, it will be all one
to him, for so much as he pays, but not for the Overplus of his Crop,
which makes a great Difference into his Pocket; you cannot fall
Wages, unless you fall Product; and if you fall Product, you must
necessarily fall Lands.
And as for the Second, our Manufactures, I am of Opinion, that they
may be carryed on to Advantage, without running down the Labour of
the Poor; for which I offer
1. Observation, or Experience of what hath been done; we have and
daily do see that it is so; the Refiners of Sugars sell for Six Pence
_per_ Pound, what yielded formerly Twelve Pence; the Distillers sell
their Spirits for one half of what they formerly did; Glass Bottles,
Silk-Stockins, and other Manufactures (too many to be here
enumerated) are sold for not much more than half the Price they were
some years since, without falling the Labour of the Poor.
But then the Question will be, how this is done? Truly it proceeds
from the Ingenuity of the Manufacturer, and the Improvements he
attains to in the ways of his Working; Thus the Refiners of Sugars go
through that Operation by easier Methods, and in less time, than
their Predecessors did; Thus the Distillers draw more Spirits from
the things they work on, than those formerly did who taught them the
Art; The Glass-Maker hath found a Quicker way of making it out of
things which cost him little; Silk-Stockings are Wove; Tobacco is cut
by Engines; Books are Printed; Deal-Boards are Sawn with Mills; Lead
is Smelted by Wind-Furnaces; all which save the Labour of many Hands,
so the Wages of those employed need not be fallen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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