The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-04-06 00:00:00

The FARMERS' CLUB and the WARWICK-
SHIRE LABOURERS' STRIKE.

The monthiy meeting of the Farmers' Club took
place on Monday evening, at the Salisbury Hotel,
Salisbury Svare, London. Mr. H. Chetfins, chair-
man of the year, presiding.
The subject fixed for consideration, viz. "Vegetable
and Fruit Farming," haling been introduced by Mr.
T. C. Scott. Knaphill, Woking, in a practical paper,
a discussion ensued, in the course of which some in-
cidental allusions were made to the peculiar position of
agricultural labourers generally, and to the movement
which has recently sprung up among those of South
Warwickshire in particular.
Mr. M. Reynolds, of Warden, Biggleswade, after
remarking that during the winter season market
gardeners in his district paid their men only 2+. a day,
and on the average not more than half-a-crown, said
that gardeners employed labonrers only when they
actually wanted them, and that when they did not re-
quire their services, they turned them adrift; owl that
in wet and bad seasons that operated very disadvanta-
geously to labourers. Gardeners did not keep men on
for the mere sake of employing them ; whereas, as they
all knew, farmers employed throughout the year a
certain number of labourers, whether they wanted
them or not.
Mr. AV. Clutton, of Penge, said there was one sub-
ject which he bad rather expected to hear discussed,
or at least mentioned that evening—he meant the
sta ike among the Warwickshire labourers. Ile was
not going to enter into that matter, because it did
not strictly belong to the question before the meet-
ing; but he insist say that they ought all to think
about it. There was no reason why. agricultural
labourers should not strike as well as bricklayers and
carpenters, who had always received a great deal
more money, and therefore farmers should be pre-
pared for what was coming.
Mr. 'l'. Scott, after acknowledging a vote of thank
for his paper, said a subject bail just been broache
which was dangerous, and should, in his opinion, no
have been introduced unless they were prepared fully to
di-cuss it. Havii'es travelled about the country a good
deal, and having been in almost every county in the
three kingdoms, he must say that be had never found
the low principle of supply and demand regulating
the relations of farmers and their labourers. I armors
had a much higher claim on those whom they em-
ployed than manufacturers had on their work people.
lie had often seen labourers kept on in the dead of
winter doing scarcely anything, living almost like cats,
in idleness at borne, when they might have been dis-
charged. He maintained, therefore, that farmers had
a much higher claim on those whom they employed
than manufacturers and others, who dispensed with
the seevices of their men when they ceSsed absolutely
to require them; and he hoped that the good sense of
the labourers awl their advisers would show them that
those who were treated with such leniency, kindness,
and patriarchal feeling, ought not to take advantage of
their position at times which were inopportune for their

employers.