The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-24 00:00:00

n—ter involveL
, high wag e& of
the exigenciem
of this from

of men to do such work ea the
"robably it may be considered that
aetit e months are sufficient to :
of slack time ; but I hope to speak
observation before I return home;
times thought what a power this gre
possess if all the labour which is exj
for its intemperate climate co:: •
productive channel. The 'S
a shrewd and enterprising people,
~f England could nit fail to advi
Probably there is a wise design in ,
laws of compensation, if not visible, none the is.
exist.
A good deal has been said and written as to the
adaptability of the English farm labourer to the cus-
toms and practices of Canadian farming. A great
deal of misapprehension exists, in my opinion, respect,
ing this. / have been careful UP inquire of both
farmers and labourers, and the general testimony of
the farmer is that they find little or no trouble with
them; they soon drop into their system, which, in-
deed, go far as lean see, differs far less than is generally
represented. I have before me a letter written by a
Doreetshire vicar, signed "F. S. 5.," to the Standard,
of the 4th of August, wherein he states that farm
labourers are "expected to shoe horses, mend a chain,
and do any carpentering work on the farm," as "if a
shoe came off the horse's foot, or a trace should break,
it would not do to have to mid to the nearest smith, who,
perhaps, lives 40 miles away." Nothing could be so mis-
leading as to imagine any such condition of things. Any
one here would laugh at the absurdity. Wherever
there are farms and settlements the demand for a shoe-
ing smith or carpenter will always provide him;
and in the back woods, 40 miles away, there is
little labour used besides the labour of the settler, who
must, if he succeed, hem man of enterprise, and may,
or may not be able to shoe a home. True it is men
have to make themselves handy, and men who have
energy enough to emigrate have generally adaptibility
enough to fit themselves to their new circumstances;
there are exceptions, but the blame rests with the
individuals who have not the necessary elements for mi
colonial life. My impression is, that our 3wll English
farm labourer, who is well up in all the requirements
of an English farmer, is possessed of more ability than
is demanded by the ordinary Canadian farmer; and
the little difference which is found in system is indeed
a slight matter. I have just returned from visiting a
man who came out a year ago from Cambridgeshire.
He is a parchment maker and worked at his trade
until lie left for Canada. He is now working as an
ordinary farm labourer, and has the reputation of being
a good hand in the forest. He is paid by the farmer who
employs him Ski a month, house and firewood, and food
for himself. A man of ordinary skill as farm labourer
in England need not fear any incompetency in Canada.
It is a fact that most farmers have carpentering„toola
and a bench, with which he does many jobs without
calling in a skilled mechanic; but probably there is no
more call on an ordinary labourer for mechanics here
than in the old country, where farm labourer,' fre-
quently develope into rough tradesmen. If a man
strikes out into the Lush, away from the habitations
of carpenters and smiths, he must, of course, be oom-
,etent to meet his own requirements, and this will test
fitness for his occupation. Men unfitted for their
pursuits must expect to fail, as they most asureclly
will. The farmers here, generally, have a reputation
for being very exacting on their men, both as regards
length of working time, as well as hard work. It is
a fact, I believe, that as a rule more hours are de-
manded of labourers here than in our Midland,
Eastern, and Southern Counties in England. But
there is a tendency to shorter hours for men are
rightly refusing to work so long, and employers are
beginning to recognize the false economy in exacting
them. It is to be hoped that the long houw system,
which is undoubtedly a mistake, will give place to a
reasonable service, by the willing concession of the
masters, or sooner or later it must fall by another pro-
cess. A rather amusing example of the result of exact-
ing too much occurred near Ingosell, Ontario. An
Irish labourer was called up between four and five
o'clock to work. He rose, and as is customary got his
breakfast; after which he retired to bed again. He
observed, 'A rare country this for a man to be celled
up in the middle of the night to take refreshments."
Patrick could not realise that he was expected to work
so long; and for his want ,d comprehension was at once
discharged. I have carefully inquired of the labourers,
and I do not find that farmers' men work harder
than in England. A fanner told me a day or two
ago that he preferred English farm labourer emi-
grants to native Canadians, as they were generally
more regular and kept steadily on, and accomplished
more work. Labourers on contract jobs for builders
or public works are often hardly driven by "bosses"
in a way very similar to our English customs. In the
question of labour, very much more difference exists in
imagination than in reality between the two countries.
We must bear in mind always that the Canadian
farmers are mostly men who have themselves delved
hard and fought their way up to their present position.
They will be sure to get all they can from their men,
just as surely as our emigrants, in their same struggle
to rise, will lay hold of all available means ; but in a
country where there are no organisations of either em-
ployers or men, the economic laws of supply and de-
mand are soon felt; consequently, in the interest of
the men, we must see to it that none of the districts
are over supplied, and we can safely leave the results.
There is a steady demand for farm labour even now,
but a great rush of emigration would soon lower wages
to such an extent as to render it scarcely worth while
to make the sacrifice of a change of countries. I would
again repeat that all who come should come early in
the year, about the middle of May; they would then
tit themselves by the time winter set in.
Our emigrant farm labourers seem immensely
pleased with the fraternizing of the classes, or rather
the absence of class distinctions. They say that "a
man is treated sea man," and undoubtedly there iii a
greater familiarity shown here than is to be found in
England. As an instance of this familiarity, a
labourer accompanied me to the house of a Mayor of
a town west of Toronto. Upon the servant coming to
the door the following conversation ensued :
Labourer, "Is the Mayor in ?" Servant : "No, he
is not." Labourer : "Oh, I guess he's gone to get a
glees." Servant: "Go on with yer.' Labourer:
'Well, I back I should find him at Jim's— tavern."
This represents the familiarity which exists; I could
not say it by any means represents the habits of the
Mayor, whom I shortly afterwards met in the street,
and with whom I had some very valuable conversa-
tion. But so far as my observation goes, human
nature is pretty much the same here as elsewhere.
I shall take a journey into the free grant settlements
next week. The Government have subsidized several
railway projects through the new territory, the con-
struction of which will be energetically pushed during
another season, which will call for a great amount of
labour, and will open up vaste tracts of country.
which is reported to be available for agricultural
purposes. The Earl of Dufferin has kindly forwarded
to me, under seal, an introduction to the heads of the
departments in the various provinces, and it is my
intention to glean such information as will afford clear
views of the situation ; and I have also a desire to learn
something of the effects of the winter On industrial
pursuits. ---Yours obediently,
HENRY TAYLOR, General Secretary.
N ational Agricultural Labour Union, Toronto, Sept 23.

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