The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-09 00:00:00

THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER.

At the Social Science Congress, held at Bristol, the
Economy and Trade Department prov d very attrac-
tive, for there the question, How may the condition of
the agricultural labourer be improved? was made the
subject of discussion. The ball was opened by Canon
Girdlestone, who recommended, as an immediate,
though only temporary measure of relief, migration
from parts of the country where wages were low to
those where they were high, and emigration to the
colour-. Ge hail himself proved the success of this
on a scale. It would be well if penny
London and provincial papers and other periodicals
would from time to time publish rates of wages
in different counties and the colonies, or if a la-
bourer's monthly paper could be established, giving
this and all other useful information to the peasantry.
Secondly, the rev. canon recommended, as a more
permanent means of improvement, education in state-
inspected schools to the extent of reading with facility
and fluency and intelligently ; writing not merely his
I two name hut a tidy letter to his relations; and as
much aciounts as would enable him to make out a bill;
in short, the acquisition of the power of self-improveurent before he is set to work in the fields. He
advocated education not only for boys, but for girls as
the future mothers of families, aud a measure of either
direct or indirect compulsion. Thirdly, he mentioned
a better admiuistration of the poor law, and said that
if there had been no poor law there would have
been less pauperism; a constitution of boards of
guardians of such a sort as would not, as now, practi-
cally leave in rural districts the chief power in the
hands of farmers, who were always inclined to supple-
ment wages out of poor rate. The choice of re-
lievair officers, masters and matrons of workhouses,
and the like, should be left with a central or county,
rather than, as now, with a local board, and that there
should be a better claasilticatiou of paupers. Parish
doctors should be fai.ly paid hr their attendance on
paupers. and all drms and other appliances should be
provided by the parish or union. Good cottages
and gardens, and an alotineit for a cow in 811111 e
instances, should be given as a special encourage-
ment to the most des., lag labourers on the farms,
and a present of milk daily to every labourer
in proportion to the size of his family. Now that
waste land- and commons were enclosed, that most
valuable article of fool was not to be hail upon arty
terms. Wages should no longer be paid partly in beer
ra• cider; the rate of remuneration should be graduated
instead of uniform, as at present, anal piece-work
ehould be carried out as far as possible. Cooperative
stores would be valuable as a means of rescuing the
labourer from shops. Rents might be advantage-
ously lowered where too high. Canon Girdlestone
proved that, even on money grounds, it was better for
the farmer to have his labourers, like his horses, in
good condition. It was quite true that town popula-
tion were often in a most, miserable state • but surely
that was no reason why those connected with the
agricultural labourer should shirk their responsibilities.

considerable

The paper of Sir Baldwin Leighton, on the seine subs
ject, commenced by stating that the writer had ex-
amined the register of the inmates of a union in a
part of Devonshire in which he was at one time
resident. The population amouuted to about 6,000,
one-half urban and the other half rural To his
surprise, he found out of 100 adult males, 34 only
had been agriculturists, and of those three had held
f .rues, while 48 had been inhabitants of the tawns.
The remainder were deaf and dumb, imbeciles, and
y ung men disabled by sicknese or accident. That
return, it was argued, proved that in a county
where the wages of the agricultural labourer
were low, the rural population did not appear
to be in such a pauperised condition as the dwellers
in towns. Another ease of a union in the Mid-
land district was cited. In June, 1869, there were
forty male adults in the workhouse, and shout the same
number receiving out-relief, or, in other words, the male
adult pauperism was about 4 per 1,000 of the popula-
tion. This was a striking contrast to the condition of
things in the unions of the metropolis. The author
then proceeded to ask how it was that, if the condition
of the agricultural lab ourer was as wretched as some
would argue, the annual death rare in most of the large
towns varied from twenty to thirty per 1,000 while with
few exceptions. in rural districts it was under twenty
per 1,000. This proved that the health of the
labourer WM superior to that 4,f townsmen. Sir Bald-
win, to improve the condition of the labourer, would
first of all give him the opportunity of renting a good
cottage. Great improvement had taken place in that
respect in most parts of the country, and it would,
it was suggested, assist much as an inducement to
good conduct and the well-being of the labourer, if
on every considerable estate there were some cottages
with laud attached sufficient for the keep of ene or
two cows, say from three to six acres according to
the quality of the land. In two parishes with which
the writer of the paper was acquainted, out of 100
cottagers 43 kept cows, which f orued a source of con-
siderable profit. It was also urged that it was very de-
sirable for the improvement of the agricultural labourer
that there should be a certain fixture ttf tenure on a pro-
perty, that as long 98 a labourer conducted himself well,
brought up his family properly, paid hts rent regulaely,
and kept his place tidy, he should be nearly sure that he
might, if he liked, remain as a tenant tor life, and might
Itook forward to one of his children succeeding him.
The advantages of education, clothing clubs, coal clubs,
said similar institutions were then discussed, and the
fact that a great improvement in the condition of the
agricultural labourer of late years having been insisted
upon, the paper concluded by saying that the actual
tilling of the Boil W. 111,1 always be one of the employ-
ments which in England would receive the lowest
amount of remuneration, and would, therefore, be re-
served for the lower classes. There was no reason, how-
ever. why the members of that class, conducting them-
selves well should not enjoy as large an amount of hap-
piness—if, indeed, not a larger amount—than the
dwellers in towns.
Sir Stafford Northcote admitted that the conditio
of the a4ricultural labourer was one demanding im-
provement. He thought it would be well to suspend
final judgment on the eutoject until after the imptiries
about to be instituted by a commission of gentlemen
appoitoted for that purpose.
To this Canon thrdlestone briefly replied.
REMI DIES FOR INTEMPERANCE.
Mr. Thomas Beggs read a paper on the remedies for
intemperance which lie within the range of voluntary
effort, mentioning some .4 the evils which result from
intemperance, and in particular the enormous waste of
money—£:3o,ooo,ooo a year—in intoxicating drinks.
REFORMATORY AND INDUSTRIAL SCHO •LO.
The results of the Industrial Schools and Reforma-
tory Schools Acts was the subject under discussion in
the Reformatory and Repression of Crime Sections.
A paper by Miss Carpenter gave an account of the
Red Lodge Reformatory, which was the first for girls
certified in the kingdom. "The girls admitted to the
institution must he under 14 years of age, and are
classified in different dormitories according to age.
They are also arranged in two divisions—the school-
room and the laundry and house girls. Of whatever
age, they are all first put into the schoolroom, being
generally in a state of extreme ignorance. llere
they have the ordinary course- of it's, rucoion of a good
da y 'school, and-re tau ht needlewt ork and knitting, and
soiue hou.e-work, tho y have ahio active out-door exer-
cise. The elder girls have separate instruction, and
spend most of the day at waelong, cooking, and other
housework. Records are kept .of the conduct of each,
and her character watched ; but in order to tit and test
each for the greater liberty she will have on entering
the world, a small house adjoining is provided, where