The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-09-12 00:00:00

PIECEWORK IN FARMING.

The following commtusleation, sent to The TOW. for pub-
lication, will interest some of our readers:—
Sir—Your Special Reporter at Thetford, writing
on the subject of piecework in farming, thinks the
system, if generally adopted, would settle the ques-
tion and cause things to run smoothly between em-
ployer and employed. My experience does not con-
firm his views. I farm upwards of 2,000 acres. One
farm of 600 acres, all arable, is situated some miles
from where I reside; consequently, I cannot give it
the same personal supervision I should do if nearer.
For years I have done everything possible by piece.
work. Ido not let any kind of work requiring horses,
because the men might sometimes overdrive them in hot
weather, and bring on inflammation; but in spring we ,
commence by letting the corn to hoe by acre, then all
the artificial manures, mixing and preparing for I
turnips by ton, all the turnip hoeing by acre, the
manure turning per yard; filling, leading, spreading,
and shaking the same, per load; corn taking up
after the reapers and getting into stack, per acre ;
thatching per yard, trimming stacks per stack, hedges
and ditches per chain, turnip taking up either per load
or ton. The wages for the last two and a half years
have been 18s. per week, hut the men have earned
(without wife or child helping them) from 21s. to 245.
weekly; notwithstanding which, last February I re-
ceived notice by post, signed by a hoemaker in the
village (who, I was told, was branch secretary to the
National Agricultural Labourers' Union( that after
the lot of lkfarch my men would require Is, per week
advance. When I asked them why they hail not asked
Personally for what they wanted they said it was
against the rules of the Union. They told me their
delegates had promised them plenty of work at 4s. and
48. 6,1. per day if I did not submitto their terms. They
all left me. Iw', came back within a fortnight and asked
to be taken on again; the rest migrated to some iron
works, but very soon returned. One described his ex-
perience,—" I've been in a muck sweat all day, I've
had naught but bugs all night, and I'm two stone
lighter than when I went." They would all gladly
have come back to me, but I had got other men in
their places. Mr. Arch and Mr. Banks wished to
make the public believe that they did not sanction any
men striking who were receiving I.Bs, per week.
My men belonged to Mr. Arch's Union and got
pay from it while out, and Mr. Banks' League struck
half a dozen farms in this neighbourhood, and
selected the very best and most liberal masters in
the county, and becalm some of their poor dupes
have not been able to get employment since their
payers hold them us as martyrs, men " spotted "
Icy the farmer, and I am sorry to say that there
is not the same good feeling between employer and em
ployed there used to be. The delegates have employed
the most abusive language, told their hearers they
were down-trodden slaves, their masters the greatest
tyrants, drunken, idle, extravagant, and ignorant of
their business.. One described us as blood-making
vampires. lam afraid the feeling is not likely to be
improved. We have an early harvest, a short crop of
straw, which will take much less thrashing than usual;
I wheat will probably be 10s. or 15a. per quarter less
than last year; the turnip crop is a great failure, which
will cause much less labour to be required ; work will
be very scarce this winter, and wages certain to be lower.
I The last few years the agricultural labourers in North
Lincelnshire and Yorkshire, taking all things into
consideration, have been better paid than any unskilled
labourer in towns. They soon find out when there
that, having to pay double rent and buy every bit of
stick tic light their fires, and every vegetable, 245. or
255, per week is not equal to 18s. or 20s. in the country,
where they not only grow their own vegetables, but
every man I have, who does not frequent the public'
house (unfortunately some do), feeds 30 stone of bacon
yearly, and where their wives and families can glean
the corn to fatten it. A man left me and went to
Sheffield. After three years' experience he gladly
came back again. This year I have had two applica-
tions from men in Hull, who left the county three
years since. NORTR LINCOLN.