The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-02 00:00:00

THE LOCK-OUT OF FARM LABOURERS.

The,..Tinteti Special Reporter, writing again on Tuesday
The Special Reporter of The Times, writing from Bury from Si. Edmunds, on Saturday, gives the following account of an Newmarket, nays. -
Interview between a master and his men .- All the Unionist labourers at Snailwell, a village
Suggesti.mo were made here in the course of Wed-
near this town, yesterday gave up their tickets of
membership, and resumed work at the old wage and
nestlay's meeting that farmers should call their men
together and talk over differences in a friendly way, upon the old conditions. I do not hear of other
defections as yet from the Unionist mike, and the
It was also determined, as you are aware, that notices
case may prove an exceptional one. The only two
should yesterday be given to labourers who would not farms in the parish are rented by Messrs. Giltus,
leave the Union, the farmers being left to interpret
this resolution as they pleased, either by limiting understood that the resident squire, Mr. Sharp, it uncle and nephew, and comprise 2,000 acres. It is
to .Unionists governed by the Lincoln rules or by
applying it genera talked over the matter with the men, and the result
attend one of these interviews anlly to all Unionists. I was anxious a
of his conversation with them was their consent to
if possible, to ,
leave the nion. There were nearly 30 of them,
the opportunity was kindly given to me by Mr. U
and to this extent the Union funds will be relieved,
Henry Stanley, of Bury, who acts as honorary secre- but next week the drain of the resources both of
tary of the newly-formed West Suffolk Farmers'
the National and Federal Unions will be greatly in.
Defense Association, and farms close on 700 acres of
land--his own property-at West Thorpe about 14 creased by the notices which will take effect in West
,
Suffolk on Friday. The recommendations addressed
miles from this town. The men had been previously
prepared by letter for the interview. I need hardly to the locked-out men by the delegates that they
should migrate or leave the country are not so effectual
say that they did not:know what my mission wa.s, and .
as might be expected, considering the small weekly
that I did not alarm them by taking notes. I am able,
.111e8 upon which the men and their families are now
however, from tnemory to give the substance of what . living and the temptations offered to them elsewhere. I
'passed, pretty nearly in the words used on either side.
am told by an emigration agent here that from the New-
Stanley are doing. so, it is necessary to explain that when Mr.
market districts only 200 persons had left for Canada
Stanley took the land, four or five years ago, it was in since the lock-out, and these include women and
very bad condition. liebegan by doubling the number
children, who, of course, form by far the larger pro-
,4 labourers, introduced steam cultivation, paid the ex-
portion of the emigrants. Queensland has had still fewer
pense .4 having one of his farm hands taught to drive
attractons for the labourers and their families. Even
the engine, and had another to attend to the thrashing-
ithe migration to the North of England lags, for, though
machine and the steam plough, paying both these men
wages there are much higher the cost of lodging
mechanics' wages. Just before last harvest the Union
and living in a town or strange place is found to leave
labourere asked I:9 se, for the usual five weeks' work,
little margin for married men to send remittances home.
having had in previous years only, 1:8. They were
An extract from a letter was read at the farmers'
offered £8 155., which was believed to be quite the
meeting here to-day, which shows how badly this
MIL r il)11.1? price paid in the neighbourhood, but they
wholesale migration may sometimes look. The writer,
left the farm just on the eve of harvest, and their em- .
Mr. 0. C. Pelh.brother of the Member of Parliament,
!doper had to get his harvest in as he could. However,
they asked to be taken back afterwards, and wer said, " The men are coming back to their old masters
taken back. e •
at Littleport. Last year. at the village next to me,
1® men went in one week to the North of England,
The labourers, sixteen in all, followed us into a large
room in the bailiff's house, and stood or sat , as they ! owing to being locked out. Every one of them is back,
1 vith.nxception of three, ancl now there is not a Union
felt inclined. One was a lad of about 16. Three of , man in the parish. Notwithstanding these experiences,
them must have been close on 60 years old. One was
the parish clerk. Several of them took part in tlfd however, I believe that every effort is being made to
induce young and able-bodied labourers to betake them-
conversation, but one of the more intellig cut was the
selves to other parts of the country, and from one
general spokesman. Throughout the interview they village, Fordham, I was told to-day that soon very few
were perfectly good humoured and civil. There was
labourers would be left." On the other hand, an
no defiance or Internees or jeering on their side, but American agent attended the farmers' meetinghere to manly self-respect which made itself felt ; and it
day, and offered to bring over 20,000 agricultural
will be seen that their replies dbowed no little shrewd- '
, labourers from Canada or the States, men who would
sees and appreciation of the point just now in issue. he satisfied with 14s. a week and their board
Their employer, of course, opened the conversation. He said :-
fig the seven months commencing in April, and 108.
i have come here iii an unpleaaant butan
--- •s-se.. ek from November to April. The cost to board
- es& 4VO C.lll'oethese men, if they worked in gangs, as the agent
f n m
eel that we cannot. after eploing so much c .91
apital to ~b.
tam n a drop, have that crop put in danger as mine wss Mat rposed, was reckoned by him at is. &I. per day.
year, for the want of labour to gather it We must protest hey could be supplied, he said, to work on yearly
ourselves against mch a danger. for It is Quite eh as we art. pontrarta They are men tho. roughly accustomed to
f
never safe with such rules as you Union mea are bound ltri, ithe latest improved farm machinery. Their ours o
Men.-- About those rules, master ! We are not under Itte 1 tbr ur would be from sunrise to sunset for six days in the
Lincoln rules We belong to the National Union:we do..d
ThereS no such rules in our Union ! -,Fanner -" IMt gad ot eek, with the necessary farm work on the Sab-
that, but still you're not tree agent., A lot of delegialeagr, bath : and the agent declared that one of them
about the
then coimtry and net you against your employers, and 1 'F
invest £2,000 of his own in importing the sample
do 903 much work as three average English
th yon have to btrike when they tell you. ' Men.-' 'N 0, master:l . ands. As this gentleman said he Wile prepared
at isn't it Ira the nyen who .ys when they don't think 'I-' t
they are getting emmgh. They delegates don't set son.' i
Farmer.-- Anyhow, you know how I was left last harvest,. 44 this new commodity from across the Atlantic, I
That shown what your Unions will do. How can you exp,,,,:ttresim, his good faith cannot he questioned, and
statement f the thoroughness of farm labour in
us tsrmers to bear such things? We gets line crop on the , i"' °d . ground, and ,da yeartm miitB depend on getting it in quickly , .America accords with the al accounts one reads o!
and well, and Just at the moment you leave us That's yol{ the heavy tasks exacted by the American " Boss. '
Union " Men -" Well, master, but we ve a dant to better , The Newmarket farmers might have thought the
otoaelves, yon know, and most on on made more last harvest
than yeti offered on " Fanner (singling out the spokesmanl lipospect of a labour supply from such a source almost
what did you maker Man.-" I made Ell. too good to be true. It certainly seems the wildest
master." Fanner -..
took the harvest How did you make it?" man.-- I i proposal yet made, not excluding, perhatts the where
at 12s an acre. and finished in a mon and ! 1 have heard broached for Mipoi Ling C mese coolies.
three days." Farmer -'' Well, lunrya't I, year atter th
asked you aLI to work on that system "-i year, The farmers prudently replied that at present they
r , taking the were in no need of extra hands, though they were
harvest by the acre instead of timtracting ler the much obliged for this novel offer. . . •
whole job - "sod hav'nt you, year after year, said
tristil,os:
,ci'oldmratt,3he
ti.re.,,,,,, upon d telt e olt
oiarmteotyti:;;ltirt
There lias '
the new one,' Ifen.-3. Yes, that's true enough, master." anon of self-
Farmer -" And then you leave me and do with a stranger against i"

iI&S been
, salted pork
4164.603

a remarkable increase in the import-
drk this yfar In the quarter it MU £315,640
lest year.