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Chapter 3 - Progress and Poverty -
From Poverty by James Platt

"PROGRESS AND POVERTY." P49
dying leaving above £100 and under £5,000, and we find as follows: -

1810
Ratio
1877

Ratio
Deaths over £5,000 1989
1.69
4.478

3.36
From £100 to £5,000 17,936
15.25
36,438

27.33
 
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Books - Factual

Sociology

Poverty - by James Platt

The following digests from the Probate returns give an approximate idea of the position of the three classes in the United
Kingdom: -

  England Scotland Ireland
  1840 1877 1840 1877 1840 1877
Rich 2.4 3.7 1.01 3.24 0.43 1.40
Middle Class 21.2 29.4 9.17 25.88 4.36 16.51
Working Class 76.4 66.9 89.82 70.88 95.21 82.09
  100 100 100 100 100 100

The savings bank is the safest guide of how the people are progressing-it is a business indicating the prosperity or adversity of the bulk of the people-and we find that the savings bank deposits increased 32 per cent. between 1870 and 1880. Since 1840 the increase of depositors has risen from 3 per cent, of population to 11 per cent. and the ratio of paupers has fallen to 3 per cent, of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom-the lowest known since the beginning of the century. The increase in the number of houses rated over £20 per annum gives a fair index of the position of the people at different+ periods: -

  National wealth. Number of Houses in United Kingdom. Rated over £20. Ratio of same.
1840 £3,824,000,000 4,507,500 244,300 5.40
1860 £5,215,000,000 4,864,800 519,200 9.60
1870 £6,880,000,000 5,157,900 754,100 12.80
1880 £8,420,000,000 5,868,600 1,002, 400 14.50

The only conclusion from the above is that persons in easy circumstances, compared with population, are three times as numerous as in 1840; and this is one of many proofs that, so far from the rich growing richer, they are not individually so wealthy as before, while the proportion of persons in middle

© Peter Smith 2008