POVERTY FOR ALL.

Bush Advocate, Volume XX, Issue 1001, 13 April 1908, Page 4

POVERTY FOR ALL.

Experts differ to a remarkable extent in their estimates ., of the wealth of Great Britain. liectvtring before the Statistical Society the other day, Mr Bernard Mallet, one of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, estimated the national wealth at between £5,---50O;000,060 and £6,0Q0,000,000. Another member of the society makes it nearly £8,000,000,000^ and a third puts; it as}; high as^£l4,bpo,oj)o|poo. Mr Coghlan, the Australian statistician, was somewhat disturbed by Mr Mallet's figures. Could it be that the wealth of England represented only £1 75 per inhabitant ? : Tlie Spectator, on the other hand, is surprised that it should be jo much. It is a widespread belief that If fcEe nations wealth were to be equally divided it would provide a comfortable income for all, but at this meeting four acute statisticians destroyed this belief utterly. Their estimates of the income which would be derived from each person's share of the national wealth, varied from 4£d to 9d a day. "It only shows us," declared a humorist, "that hard work must still be our portion." Seeing that statesmen may build great fabrics of legislation on the resiilts of iliese. investigations, it is a pity that they differ so widely from. each other. Immense difficulties would, of course, confront a realisation of national assets. Great Britain would, for instance, have to sell her fleet, and the sum 6he might expect to get is problematical. One estimate of its "value is £112,---000,000. Other Powers might, thinks another investigator, buy her most modern vessels for £20,000,000, but the others would yield only about £10,000,000. To assist the society in its deductions an expert recently worked out the value of all the pictures, rare books, and special works of art which the country contains at £10,000,000. One comforting piece of information was made known, that as the Briton grows older his material possessions increase considerably. Mr Mallet calculates that the average property at the death of individuals of various ages is as follows: 20 and upwards £150, 25 £200, 35 £255, 45 £300, 55 £100, 65 £500, 75 £600. In view of th© vast number of people earning small wages in the Old Country this table is surprising.