Problems of Poverty: An Inquiry into the Industrial Condition of the Poor

A thoughtful exploration of industrial poverty, this volume brings together painstaking statistics and a clear moral concern for the lives behind the numbers. Drawing on the pioneering surveys of Charles Booth and other contemporary studies, it offers a systematic look at how national wealth is divided among wage‑earners and what that reveals about the true extent of hardship in a rapidly changing society.

The first chapters focus on defining “the poor” and measuring their condition, using concrete figures to illuminate the gap between national income and the share that reaches the lowest strata of the working class. Subsequent sections evaluate a range of practical remedies—such as housing reforms, wage adjustments, and limited state interventions—presented without dogmatic judgment, inviting readers to weigh their feasibility. By combining rigorous data with compassionate insight, the book aims to spark deeper inquiry into the social responsibilities of an industrial age.