The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-11-11 00:00:00

THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER.

The first meeting of the Farmers' Clnb, after the com-
pletion of the harvest, WWI lichltin Monday night in Salis-
bury-square, Meet street, London. The dismission was
«; sired by Mr. I '. Wad, who chose for his mit-
ject " The Agricultural Labourer Ins 0111111..\ 111011 t,
wages, and education," --a subject of the utmost im-
portance at the present time, when labour generally
is IMO of the most serious questions that engage the
attention ((f all classes, peer and peasant, mechanic
and machine maker, operative and manufacturers of
all kinds of cotton and woollen goods. The meeting
was more than ordinarily well attended, and SO 1111101
aid the .11:00.4.01111t0r04 those present that it Was at
first thought neoe,asary to adjourn this discussion, but
ultimately, on the motion of the chairman, and on the
understanding that a cognate subject should be taken
up next year at the opening of the season, the discus-
sion was dropped.
The (-hair was occupied by Mr. T. B. Spearing, who
briefly introduced the speaker, intimating that this
year the farmers were better toff than they had been
for some years, and that, although wheat was deficient
in quantity mid quality, barley, oats, and beans were
more than usually excellent. hoot crops, also, he said,
were good, and meat dear.
Mr. Read. who apologized for not having, as is Manilla the
pr-pared a paper, hut had merely taken notes, lob'
that he hail chosen the subject in order to support the repu-
tation of the club. which had always taken a great interest In
the agricultural lahourer, to which it had generally recurred'
at Intervals every two years. Mr. Itead, after referring to
what be describes as the excellent essay of Mr. Dent, which
appeared upon this subject in the Journal of the Royal
Agricultural See.'etm of England ; to Mr. Miry Denton's
paper, read before the Society .4 Arts and to Mr.
Keble's book on the agricultural labuirer. from all
of which productions he liberally quoted, went 011 to say
that he 11,1 not think that the wages of the agricul-
tural labourer could be judged of by the mere mono M-
ama The labourer received more than was told in money.
lie stated that the condition .of the landlord, the tenant, WO
the labourer had been all assailed, but unjustly. He thought
they were all hound together. Mr. James Howard, in his
admirable paper on " t'apital and Labour," read before the
club in IS5n, had stated that the two tiers of the arch upon
which swiety rested were the aristocrat.), and the labourers
He did not think that a single span could be node sufficiently-
slide to carry through the stream. It wanted another pillar

to make It safe, composed of tenant-farmer% After contrast-
ing the Middle Agee, which were suppoeed to be the halcyon
days of working men, when money wages were small, but
when provisions could be Insight cheap, Mr. Read said that
within the lantwenty years the remuneration of agriruiti,r il
labourers had increased about 35 per cent. in 1051 Mr.
Cain' had chosen the six Bounties in which agricultural
wages were lowest, and the average was 78. On. per week.
Dorset, still lowest, wa.s now Ns. : the Cotswolds were set
down as from los. to us., and Northumberland 13s. to Ito.
Mr. Bailey Denton made the general average 12s. bd., and,
with extra pay at harvest and iither busy times, from 11.0 d.
to 30. per acre extra might be relied upon. Notwithstanding
this increase of wages to the labourers, farmers on light
arable sons were paying more per acre than they did 20 years
ago. Then they paid 258., now it cost them 358., and he did
not get elf under Ms—probably it might be sold because
he devoted so much of his attention to Parliamentary
duties, atel too little to his own farm. If the value of labour
in preparing land for CM NILS to go on increasing in this
manlier it would have a tendency to turn Wel into grass, in
in spite of Mr. Modmi and his supporters.... Read then went
Os, to contrast the advautages of the suburban with those
enjoyed by the urban population. The former had pure and
healthy air to Leine with they had • cottage and a gmdclh
out of which c k ought to be made ; they had the privileges
of gleaning the coru fields and the aeon.; in Gene districts
they had cheaper bread and Mount/int pork. The worker ill
towed had to pay froni 35. to is. per week f. ,r ltls house
without a garden, and the choice they had of shops, the
les. wear and tear of clothe., the nearness to their labour,
ke 'did not, lie thought, counterbalance the advantages of
the agricultural labourer. Mr. Read drew a picture lOf the
clzirque
.of the till insisted, woo wzriedr
—greur.; XerYistdeTftZel sl,lorrd. than
of no, latter. (if piree-work
agriculture ho expressed his high approval, remarking
that by not adopting the system more than they did farmers
were simply unconsciously earryhig ollt who! trades' unions
were endeavouring to carry out—to bring down the hi it
man's earning. to the level of an inferior workman. 3lr.
Reed did not entirely disapprove of women labouring in
Melds, neither did he think that children should not lie cm-
p/oyed in exceptional cases in agricultural work on inch WOS
healthy. Agricultural gangs he disliked, but he thought
they would awn die away in the progress of events. Com.
mons he was glad to see were hemming things of the past.
as the collagen who claimed rights were wretchedly housed
and fed, although they sometimes fed poultry, which he
should hike to see more encouraged. lie approved mode-
rately shod farina instead of too large or too small
ones. Ground game he emaidered a nuisance, as against
these vermin tenants could not farm, and over-preser-
vation caused the land to Inc but half cultivated, and the
labourers but half employed. Mr. Real nest referred to
the improvidence of the agricultural labourer, which lie
attributed ill a great degree to the working of the Poor
LIM, and thged the fleet:may of ou improved education, the
advisibillty of sepplying skim milk at a nominal price to the
labourers ny the farmers, and MI WOMBae in cottage accom-
modation, iu which, however, much was being done by the
landlords, and shire would be done were the Enclosure C -
misnomers to make their regulations less strict.
The paper was listened to with great attention, and
was diAeusAed by Mr. Sydney, manager of the Agri.
cultural-hall, Mr. Maiden, Mr. Pell, Ml'., Mr. J.
Howard, M.l'., Mr. Neild, Mr. Drin, Mr. Trethe-
way, and the Rev. E. Sznithica.
- -

A hearty vote of thanks WWI awarded Mr. Read
for hm excellent paper, after which the proceedings
terminated.