Page:Thoughts on the Corn laws, addressed to the working classes of the county of Gloucester.djvu/12

8 enough for himself and family—in short, until, as far as food is concerned, he is just in the same position that he was in before the fall in the price of corn.

The wages of a common labourer appear to be regulated by what would be a sum sufficient to maintain themselves and their families, so that their numbers do not fall off. Whenever wages fall below this sum, an increased mortality, an increased emigration, and probably a diminution of marriages, will in the course of a short time reduce their number. When, of course, fewer labourers seek for employment, masters will offer higher wages, till at length wages will be restored to their former level, and be sufficient to maintain the labourers and their families in such a manner that their number will no longer be reduced. When wages rise above this rate, the number of labourers in the country begins to increase, when the efforts of all to obtain employment soon reduce the wages of the ordinary labourers to that sum that will just afford them support.

From this it follows that a permanent fall in the price of food will reduce wages in about the same proportion as the price of food. It is very important to consider the manner in which the fall in the price of food effects a fall in wages; the first effect being the increasing the abundance of food to the labourer without affecting (or only in a very