The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-12-12 00:00:00

CIDER.

The rate of wages given by Spencier and Isaac, as
paid in Cornwall, is 12s. per week, very little cider;
Somerset, Bs. to 10s. per week, with three pints of cider
per day-.-two gallons at haymaking and harvest; in
Devon, 7s. and Be. in the north, and 83. to 10a.. in the
south, with alder as in Somerset; in Dorset, the wages
are put at 75., and not so much cider. This for Dorset
I know Is too low, but I wish now to speak of payment
of wages by drink. A worse system does not prevail.
I mean to 'toy your farm labourer requires some drink
in haymaking and harvest, but you give him this to
stimulate him and enable him to do your work more
effectually, but this should cot be • matter of wages.
The Somerset farmer gives his men so much a day, with
three pinta of cider. Sometimes cider is worth 50s.
a hogshead, and a year ago you could buy it for 15s.
Now if the man drinks 18 pints a week when cider is
is. a gallon, he has 3d. weekly, but if it is only 4d.
a gallon he gets but 91. ; but I say let the labourer be
paid so much money, and if he wants cider let him buy
it. But it does him no good whatever, it has scarcely
any nutritive power, it is like gin and water—it stimu-
lates, but has no nourishment in it. But just hear
, what George Small, of Othery, Somerset, says : "I am
a farm labourer, am married and have six children. I
work for Mr. Somers. I left off drinking cider, beer,
and all Jtlier strong drinks about five years ago. At
the end of twelVe months I took to drinking again;
soon left it off again, and have never touched anything
of the kind since—now more than four years. 1 have
always done all sorts of farm work. I have laboured
hard, but find my health now just as good as when 1
used to have cider. I can work just as well as these
that drink. lAA Bummer I mowed from four o'clock
in the morning till eight o'clock at night; it was job
work. Others drank—l did not. They drank one and
a hplf gallons each ; but r did my share of the work,
the same as theirs, and quite as well as theirs. We
were paid in money, 3s. 4d. each a day during the mow-
ing. I bad my potato ground; they their cider."
The man describes how he cultivates his half-acre of
ground, keeps t*o pigs, get a pound of boson a week, a
little meat oecasionally, drinks tea and coffee, and at
dinner tieacis and water. I have a whole host of
testimonials to prove that where labourers have been
paid the cost of the cider iostead of the liquor, they
1111,Ve been better satisfied and better fed. I know some
of my friends will not agree with me on this cider
question, but I know from those who have had
experience, that my idea Is not far from right.

hie LAW kixtrusteark,
Of one thing I forgot to speak just now, and that
was, that now the Union Chargeability Ace is passed,
it is necessary for the Peet that the act of settlement
should be abolished. I wish Mr. Henley's motion last
year had been carried. Tramps could then have no
excuse for pestering us, and were any seen about they
would deserve the gaol. Your poor would always know
that their parish /cis that in which they resided, and
oould not be removed, paving new exhausted your
patienoe, I will thank you for your kind attention, and
ask you to critioibe freely what I have said, and to
guide you, I will mention seriatim, the subjects on
which I have touched. First, industrial education;
2ndly, the cettages Of the poor, their scsrcity, and the
smallness and unhealthiness of many ; 3rd, hiring fairs,
and recreation for labourers; 4th, the ease of John
Cross; sth, wags; Sib, gristing corn; 7th, cider as
part wages; and lastly, the Union Chargeability and
Aot of Settlement Bills, I confeas I have touched on all
L these matters very hurriedly, as many of them would
of themselves form a subject for discussion ;
have some time before us, and what I have omitted to
I say, gentlemen present will have an opportunity of
;adding, and I trust there will be no bashfulness on the
part of our junior members this evening, for unless they
begin to show that they have ideas, and are able and
willing to give expression to them, we shall doubt if our
Society is doing that amount of good we abtald wish,
The address was listened to with evident interest,
and the lecturer was frequently applauded.
The Ptiasinvcr having invited discussion, the Vice.
Chairman and tir. Elswood both said they agreed with
so much that Mr. 'Cox bad sailthat they scarcely knew
how to raise a discussion.
Mr. Qom: `qt's too geed In address then."
- .10 He suggested that they take the. subjects
which ease the first was 'industrial educ..
....r. Cox had referr•d. io the steps taken in
Iport to that end, which he was happy to say had
- - --s innAlean vgary

V I

bad been made amongst the agricultural labourers in
'Ater parts of the country; he (Mr. Colfox) was not
acqcamted with the instances mentioned, yet he dould
not but think that there were few classes of persons
that needed snob an effort on their behalf more than
lit agricultural labourers. Nothing could be mere im-
portant. save the highest end holiest subjecta, than to
acquire that kaowledge which would b at fit them to
perform the work whereby they had to support them.
Belies during th- ir lives, and he wculd suggest that at
a future meeting Mr. Cox should be requested to tell
Viem in detail what had been done in that direction in
other places, and what be would suggest to effect the
same object in that neighbourhood. (Applause.)
Mr. SALISBURY, speaking on the grist question, told
how one of his labourers having complained that the
grist did not "hold out," it Was proved that some
neighbours had gone into the house and helped them-
selves from the labourer's sack! a droll mode of
showing that farmers often got a bad name erongfully.
The VIDE-CHAIRMAN said he was sure that all present
were in favour of industrial education. The difficulty
was bow it could be carried out, the work being ea.
tended over so large an area. (Bear, hear.) He cop•
sidered, upon moral principles, that the only happy man
' was the industrious man: be was sure that contentment
at home and a feeling of satisfiction with all thini•
around him, tended to make &man a much more worthy
character. At that moment, he rather shrunk, as a Dori et
man and an employer of agriaultoral labourers, from
speaking on the subject, the county having obtained
what Le might call such unenviable notoriety ; but this
he would assert, without fear of contradiction, that the
' agricultural labourers of this comity were as happy schwa
of men, taken as a whole, as any subjects within Her
Majesty's dominions. (Applause.) He had lived to his
present age in daily and hourly communication with these
, men, and he felt that, independent of any Christian
feeling, upon their health and strength his comforts
depended, and the amount of remuneration
he should receive from the capital he had invested.
It had been his good fortune to live in • neighbourhood
where he had felt none of the inconvenience arising from
the 14th February Dorchester hiring. They had gone
on year after year pleasantly together. But if a man
were not satisfied he was at liberty to leave at a week's
notice and vice versa, and it appeared to him that that
system was far more to the advantage of the labourer,
and also the farmer, than au engagement for 12 months,
for frequently they found that men were either sum'
mooed for leaving their work, or for neglecting it in
such a way as to break thsir contracts. These thiap
convinced him that the system that obtained in their
(the western) part of the county was the beat. (Hear,
hear.) As to wages: how was he to speak of that? If
amen were eatisfied with what wages he got, he took it
that he stayed where he was, but, if dissatisfied, looked
out for another situation. (Hear, hear.) He did not
like to speak of himself, for he might be termed
egotistical. (Voices, "No, no.") But he had those now
in his employ who were grandfathers, and yet bad
never called any man maater hot himself—if that proved
they were satisfied and how labourers were paid—and
who had never been recipients of parochial relief except
in cases of illness, which was what the law provided for,
and be was quite sure of this that if he were to go into
any part of England he should say "give me my agri.
cultural labourers, and their strong arms and willing
hearts, equal to any clety before them." (Hear, hear)
As to cottage accommodation, he was sure that nothing
tended so ranch to morality and decency as good bed.
rosin accommodation. Nothing was more demoralising
than the two sexes having to sleep in the same room.
He anticipated that with the information now brought
forward, they should ultimately seethe chamber accom.
modation in oottages increased. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Cox asked Mr. Pope if he thought farmers would
object to pay £1.6 a year to provide three cottages
acoording.to a plan which he laid on the table at a
cost of £320; or 5 per cent. on the outlay.
Mr. POPE thought not. If a man had to walk three
or four miles before getting to his work, a portion of
his strength was exhausted before he entered upon bis
daily duties. He believed the Union Chargeability
Act would prevent "close parishes."
Mr. Cox: Bat what will it put on you in the shape
of taxes ?
Mr. ELWOOD The remedy is worse than the
disease!
Mr. POPE remarked that it was said the population
of a country is its best wealth, and said he thought
that ultimately the landlords would see it was quite
as important for them to provide cottage accommoda-
tion as habitations for the tenant farmers themselves.
He then referred to the Cattle Plague, and said he felt
it was their interest to do all they could to assist in
enforcing the wise orders the magistrates and the Mayor
had issued. (Hear, hear.)
The PRIMMER?, who is also Mayor of Bridport,
thanked Mr. Pope for this expression of approval, and
the meeting for endorsing the sentiments of the Vice.
Chairman.
Mr. ELBWOOD said he had yet to learn that having
grist was a disadvantage to • labourer —(Mr. CoX
That's what I say,)—and at some length proved that it
was a considerable advantage. As to the John Cross
case, and the statement that Dorset wages were only Ss,
a week, he said be should be glad to give anyone 12s. a
week to pay all his able-bodied men. (Applause.) He
was sorry that case had been brought up there, for he
thought it not worth their while to notioe the twaddle
of a penny paper on the subject. (Applause.)
Mr. S. Tueiriut expressed a hope that landlords would
be induced to provide better accommodation for their
labourers, and proceeded to show that Dorset labourers,
judging from what he had men in Somerset, Devon,
and Wilts, were as well paid as any other, and that a
labourer's wages were as good as those of mechanics in
large towns, considering the greater expenses such
persons incurred for houses and staple food. He was
entirely opposed to annual hirines.
Mr. A. d. PITPIELD thought that if the labourers had
better houses they would not be so likely to spend their
money in pothouses.
Mr. R. TothrEß showed that grist was appreciated by
the labourers, for by threatening to stop it when the
wives of some of his labourers stayed at home to,make
nets when he wanted them, they all canoe.
Mr. ELSWOOD made some further remarks by way of
showing that in harvest time it was far more advan-
tageous for labourers to work for farmers than for the
local manufacturers. -

The PRESIDENT made a few remarks in favour of John
Cross, and said lie thought it was not right to term him
the martyr thief, though it was true he bad stolen a
hurdle, and he should not have liked to subscribe to the
testimonial. Ile then proposed a vote of thanks to Mr.
Cox for his able and interesting paper.
The VICE-CHAIRMAN seconded the proposition, and
said he concurred with the Chairman in thinking the
term "martyr thief," as applied to John Cross, to be
rather too strong a term, for he could not
conceive of • man being guilty of a less offence.
He was sure that his brother agriculturists wished
it to be known that, though this discussion had
taken place, there was not, nor ever would be, be
trusted, any antagonistio feeling between the labourers
and their employers; that they rather hoped to have the
confidence of the labourers, and felt sure they would
ever do their duty towards them (their em-
ployers), while they, on their part, remembered
they owed. a duty to the labourers. (Hear,
hear.) He believed those to be the prevailing senti-
ments of the agriculturists in this neighbourhood. If a
man, through any circumstances, was prevented from
doing a good day's work one day, they believed be would
make it up another time. They were all the Queen's
subjects and God's creatures, and it was the duty rad
interest of the farmer to do all he could for the welfare
of those who worked for him. (Hear hear.) He was sure
that they shared with him those feelings. (Hear, hear.)
He felt that there thanks were justly due to Mr. Cox :
he had never heard and never read a more interesting
lecture than that he had give on the present occasion.
(Applause.)
Mr. BANISTER, the Cattle Inspector appointed for the
Bridport Petty Sessional Division and the Borough,
said he had reason to think that some pereons contem-
plated endeavouring to evade the orders that had been
issued. He dwelt on the serious consequences that
might arise if it were done, and asked the meeting to
as,ist in.preventing it.
Mr. Cot acknowledged the high compliments paid
him, expre-sed his intere4 in agriculture, and especially
in the career of the Melplaish Society, and the meeting
ended.

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