THE TEST OF WELL-BEING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8062, 1 October 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE TEST OF WELL-BEING.

The following is from the recently published volume entitled " The Reign of Qaeen Victoria," by T. H. Ward, M.A.:—The final test of well-being is the increase of consumption by the masses. On this head what has been already said ia another connection regarding the increased consumption of tea, sugar, and tobacco should suffice. But some well-known figures may be repeated a* to the consumption per head. The consumption of tug.»r in the fifty years has gone up from 15 to 70ib per head ; tea from 1£ to 4Jlb per head tobacco from o'B6 to 1 40ib per head ; and so on.- There is also a marked improvement in houses. The annual value of homes above £10 rental in Great Britain was £12,603,000 only about fifty years ago ; now it is over £57,000.000, or between four or five times the total of fifty years ago. it has been contended by some working men or their friends that the increased rental of dwelling-houses only shows increased expense ; it is, they Bay, a drawback to the improvement shown by the rise in money wages. But the argument as to a real improvement being indicated is very strong. Either the increased rental is due to a rise iu the cost of building bouses— which would imply that working men connected with the building traces obtain largely increased wages—or it implies that more accommodation is provided ; so that the masses are really " consuming" .more and better house accomodation per head than they did.