Rent rubles 14.78 Labor ” 4.75 ------------------------------------------------ Rent for 1 dessiatine ＞ Wages for 3 dessiatines. The average figures can be considered, however, merely as representing static conditions at any given moment. The tendency of the movement is rather indicated by the extreme limits. When work is offered in payment of rent, wages very often sink far below the level. At the same time rent is ever on the rise. Let us take for purposes of comparison, some communities in which piece wages are lowest, and some others in which rent is highest: ----------------+-------+--------+----------+-----------+------------- District |Commu- | Land | Average | Wages per |Rates of rent of Ranenburg. |nities.| rented | rent per |dessiatine | to wages. | |(dessia-|dessiatine| (rubles). | | | tines).|(rubles). +-----+-----+------+------ | | | |From.| To. | From.| To. ----------------+-------+--------+----------+-----+-----+------+------ Minimum of wages| 44 | 1909 | 15.16 | 3.00| 4.00| 5.2:1| 3.9:1 Maximum of rent | 12 | 833 | 23.72 | 4.00| 5.00| 5.9:1| 4.3:1 ----------------+-------+--------+----------+-----+-----+------+------ As the ratio of rent to wages is moving from 3:1 towards 5:1, it finally becomes questionable whether we should class among tenants or among laborers a peasant who has to till five dessiatines for the landlord in exchange for one dessiatine given to himself. Thus land tenure is degenerating into wage labor. CHAPTER VII. THE WAGES IN THE RURAL DISTRICTS. The amphibious character of the peasant, who is at once farmer and laborer, proves a very important factor in shaping the relations of Russian economic life. In Russia we have the case of the so called allotment system on a large scale. The influence of this system was picturesquely elucidated by John Stuart Mill when he stated that “it makes the people grow their own poor rates.”[72] Exactly the same is observed in Russia. The greater part of the work in agriculture, as well as in industry, is performed by farmers.[73] With them the earnings from outside labor are to cover only a part of their expenses, which cannot be provided for by farming. It is obvious that wages alone must fall below the usual standard of life.[74] We have seen how, in the course of the evolution from farmer to wage worker, the tenant first becomes farm laborer. Accordingly it is natural to find farm labor prevailing among the local occupations of the peasants: _Agriculture. Per cent._ _Trades. Per cent._ Ranenburg 69 31 Dankoff 72 28