in St. C ro ix .,... “ 24. 75 (no stamppaper).
“ “ “ “ in St. Tliomas...“ 33. 00
“ “ “ “ as hucksterers in St.
Croix...“ 16.50 (no stamppaper).
“ “ “ “ in St. T h om as... “ 2 2 .0 0 Burgherbrief as mechanic in St. C roix... “ 24. 75 (stamppaper)... “ 2 .5 6 do. do. in St. T hom as... “ 3 3 .0 0 Registering an indenture of apprenticeship . . . ...“ 2. 00 Burgherbrief as shipowner, jirchitect, and
civilengi-neer, in St. Croix... “ 41. 25 stamppaper...“ 2. 56 do. do. in St. Thom as... “ 55. 00 do. as commander o fa vessel and printer, in St.
Croix... “ 3 3 .0 0 stamppaper... “ 2 .5 6 do. do. in St. Thomas ... “ 44 . 00 do. as estate owner or attorney of an cstate in
St.’ C ro ix ... “ 82. 50 stam ppaper... “ 2 .5 6 do do. do. in St. Thomas & St.
J o h n s ...“ 55. 00
— 4
n era te liim for the expense whieli musf. be inourred in acqairing tbe skil! necessary to the practice of his profession.
I I . O f tbe demand for labour.
W c sball consider this under two heads—lst, The demand for simple labour ; and, t'dly, The demand for educated labour.
1. T be demand for simple labour, or that wliioh is indispensablc to the production of the ordinary necessaries of life, is incessant and universal. Every man requires, eithor indircctly or direetly, the labour which is employed in produeing tho ordinary articlesof consumption for food, elothing, and shelter.
But in order to render this labour available, it must be United with Capital. Neither labour nor capital can produce any thiagalone. Hence ho wbo possesscs capital is always desirous to unite it with labour, and be who is able to labour is always desirous to unite that labour with Ca
pital. And it is evident that the largor tho amount of capital whicb a man possesses, the greater will be the amount of labour wbich he will wish to proeure. He who cultivates five hundred acres of land will require a larger Jiumber of workmen than he who cultivates but fifty aeres. The iron founder who wishes to manufaeture five hundred tons of iron, will require a groater nutnberof workmen than he who w-ishes to tnanufac- tttro but fifty tons. Aud hence, in general, we see that the greater the amount, of capital, the greater will be tbe number of labourers required, that is, tbe greater will be the demand for labour.
I f the capital of a country be too great for th e nutnber of labourers, tbere will bo a competition between capitalists for labour. T h e y will overbid cacli other, and thus the price of labour will rise. T h o se of the lirst class will be insufficient lo supply tbe demand for labourers of tbis class, and a nu m b er of labourers must therofore be taken from tbe sec- ond class. And tbus, in succession, every class of labourers will bo' raised one grade. T h e price o f labour will tbus be raised tbrougbout tbe whole coumtunity, tb e condition of the people will be meliorated, a smaller proportion of children will die, and a larger number of labourers will be reared. J f this addition do not supply tlie deficiency, labourers tvill im m igrate fr o m less fa vo red counlriås, where the proportion o f Capi
tal to labour is less.
A n d , on the contrary, w h ere th e proportion of Capital to labour is small, tliere will bo a larger n um ber of persons desirous of labour that ean find employinent. Iu this case th ere will be a competition among labourers for work. T h e y will underbid each other, aad tbus the price o f labour will fail. T h e case mentioned in tbe last paragraph will then be reversed; tb e condition of all the labourers will be rendered worse, and m a n y will either emigrato or starve. M a n y children, and weak and sickly persons, will die of tbe diseases consequent upon hardsbip and exposure. I n tbis manner, the n um ber of human beings will be re- duced, until tho su pply of labour is adjusted to tbe am onut of Capital, and th en the price ol labour, or wages, will rise again.
H ence we see tb at, in order to secure tbe prosperity of a
country-it is necessary th at country-its capcountry-itai should increase wcountry-ith country-its population. Ko matter wbat may be the present condition of a people, if population in- oroases faster tbao Capital, or if capitai be stalionary, or specially, if it be dintinishing, there must soon anive a season of great distress arnong the labouring classes. Tbere wiil be more labourcrs than can find em- ployrnent.
Hence we see tbe great importance of botli individual and national frugality. I le wbo squanders away property in useless expenditure, is annihilating the very mean3 by avhich tbe lionest labourer might earn his subsistence. Thus, also,, of nations. T h e government that wastes property in wars, or iu any other form of unprofitable consumption, is dimioishing the capitai of tbe country, and scattering the resources wbicb the toils of the people have accumulated. Every shilling tbus spent is the destruction of so mueh of the means by which the labourers of the country ara to be sustained. Suppose a nation be worth a hun
dred millions of capitai, and th at the use of all this capitai be neccssary in order to furnisli employment and tbe means of subsistence to its pop
ulation. If it spend ten millions iu war, tb a t part of its population wbicb was sustained by the use ot tbat ten millions must be unemployed.
Or, if tbis portion be not immediately thrown out o f employment, and the injury be averaged, the price of wages for the whole wiil be reduced to the amount of this difference; every one wiil be worse off, and
some
wiil be destitute aud wiil starve.O f the demand f o r educated labour.—This is substantially depend- ent upon tbe same principles. A community needs the services of law- yers, physicians, clergymen, judges, and men of science. Hence^therc wiil be a demand for these services. If there be a greater number of educated labourers than is tvquired, the price of tbe labourers wiil fali.
Under contrary circumstances it wiil rise. When the price of educated labour fails so low as not to remunerate tbe labourer for his skili and education, tbe supply wiil be reduced by the faet that men wiil turn tlieir attention to sorne other pursuit.
T h e domand for these different kinds of labour varies with tbe condition of society. T h e rich and luxurious have greater demand for medical aid than tbe poor and abstemious. T b e progress of society renders titles to land more intricate, and exposes men to greater danger from fraud. Hence the greater need of the services of those who ha've devoted themselves to tbe study of the luws, and wbo are therefore qualified to instruct us bow we may avail ourselves of tbe bonefit of law.
III. We next proceed to consider tbe supply of labour, both simple and educated.
The amount of labour in any country dopends upon the number of healtby human beitigs iahabiting it. Hence the supply of labour wiil depend cliiefly upon tbose conditions by which the increase or tbe con- tinuance of human lile is affeeted. Of tbese conditions, tbe most impor- taDt are tbe following : —
1. T h e means of liviog which may be commanded by tho labourer.
which 283 in cane and fallow. The crop for that year was 113,979 nett Ibs., at 1,600 Ibs. to the hogshead, averages 71 h lids.
U
p p e rL
ove— situate in Princes Quarter No. 18 & 19, in Frederiksteds Jurisdiction and Centre Police Dislrict— Bill o f sale of 8th March 1865 from Frederiksteds Dealing Court as administering the dealing ofGeorge James Mudie dec. to John Farrelly and George Farrelly, for $48,000. 'i'lie tax list for 1864 shows: asteam miil, 78 laborers, 1 horse or pony, 36 mules, 24 horned cattle, 300 acres of land of wliich 210 in cane and fallow. The crop for that year was 51,896 nett Ibs., at 1,600 Ibs. to the hogshead, averages 33 hhds.
No r t h sid e
—situate in Northside Quarter Letter A. No. 37, in Frederiksteds Jurisdiction and Police District—Bill of sale of 6th April 1865, from P. Mudie to P. W. Shousboe, as attorney to M. & S. G. Melchior, for $5,800 ; and from P. W.
Schousboe in the same capacity, to J. A. Correa, for $5,000, on the same day. The tax list for 1864 shows: a wind mili, 54 laborers, 2 horses or ponies, 8 mules and 14 horned cattle, 224§ acres of land of wliich 100 in cane and fallow. The crop for same year was takenoffwith Hamsbay and was 23,742 nett Ibs., wliich at 1,600 Ibs. to the hogshead, averages 15 hluls.
From Ghambcrs’s Information f o r the Peoplc.
O F W A G E S , O R T H E P R I C E O F L A B O U R .
Of the General PriDciples by which Wnges, or the Exchangeable Value of Labour, is regulated.
W e liavo alrcady seen tliat exchangeable valuc is the cost of any thing, influenced moreover by the effeet of supply and demand. Wc shall therefore consider, lst. The cost of labour; 2dly, The effeet of supply and demand upoD if.
I . Of the oost of labour.
O f simple labour.— B y simple labour we meau tliat labour wbicb may be pertormed by any bealtby person without any, or witb very trifling, previous education.
L B at it is evident that no person can continue in healtb without ood, clothing, and slielter. W e cannot, therefore, procure the labour o any living thing without furnishiog tbose necessaries which are
rc-q u i r e d f o r tlie c o n t i D i i a D o e o f existence. This is the first thing
which
t n i e r s i n t o t h e c o s t o f l a b o u r .
2. But, besiJes this, human beings are not qualified to labour until they have attained se veral years of age. During the period of infancy, they must be supported by ihø labour of others. Were they not so supported, the whole race of man would in a few years perish. The cost of labour must therefore bc sufficient to sustain not merely the parents but also the children. And yet more, men live frequently af- te r they have ceased to be capable of labour, The old must be sup
ported, or they will perish. Hence the wages of labour should be enough to enable the labourer to lay up something to support hira in hisold age, or else the wages of his children should be sufficient to maintain hint af'tcr he has become unable to maintain himself.
3. Whilo, however, this is the faet, yet it may be observed, that ' the cost oPlabour, or the remuneration necessary to aecomplish these
purposes, will vary in different climates, In warm climates, where vegetable food is principally used, and where very li:tle expenditure is required either for fnel, clothing, or shelter, wages would naturally be lower than in cold climates, where the expenditures must of necessity bc so mueh greater. This is, however, equalised by the faet, that warm climates enervate tho system and relax the physical energies, so that, while you pay a very small sum for a d a y ’s work, you receive a very small amount of labour in return.
Such is tho natural cost of simple labour, and it will be generally found that by this rule that cost is practically adjusted. Whatever may be the condition of the country, the lowest class of labourers earns but simply sufficient to procure the ordinary necessaries of life for the p a rents and the children.
O f educated labour.— But for most of the occupations of life some sort of cducation is required. No man can be a carpenter, or a black- smith, or a jeweller, or a physician, or a lawyer, or a clergyman, with- out being educated for tho particular calling which heinteuds to pursue.
Now, this education is expensive. It cosls both time and money. I f a man wisli to practise a trade or a profession, he must spend several years in preparation or apprenticeship. During the whole of this time he receives no wages, and frequently is obliged to pay for tuition.
When he has acquired the necessary skil!, be is able to perform more valuable labour than before, and he is entitled to a higher compensation.
The compensation would naturally reasonably be adjusted by a conside- ration of the time and Capital which he has expended in his education.
T h e longer the time and the greater the expense of his training, the higher ouglit to be his wages. I t is evident that the wages of such l a bour must be always greater tban those of simple labour, otherwise it will not be produced. No man will spend money in educating his son for a calling which will yield him no higher wages than he could earn without any education.