The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-05-25 00:00:00

MEETING ON LYNEHAM-GREEN.

On Friday evening in last week, a meeting of agri-
cultural labourers was held on Lyneham-green ; Lord
Edmund Fitztuaurice, M.P., presiding. The meeting
was called in connexion with the West of England
Agricultural Labourers' Association, with the view of
forming a branch society. The evening proved to be
most wretched and miserable as regards the weather,
there being scarcely any cessation in the rain, which
began to fell early in the day and continued until late
In the evening ; yet there were from 700 to 800 labouring
men and women assembled under the wide-spreading
branches of the large elm where the meeting was to be
held at seven o'clock, the time appointed for the com-
mencement of the procceclings.
Lord Edmund Fitzsaaurice, who had driven over from
Boirood through the pelting ram. hating taken his stand
on one of the projecting roots of the elm tree under the
branches of which the company had assembled, proceed :d
to open the business of the meeting by remarking that be
fully believed the present movement, although by some It
was looked upon as belonging to the labourers themselves,
would result in leuellt to the tenant-farmer and the
landlord also. Ile hoped there were some tenant-
farmers present, for he could assure them of his firm
belief that they would eventually gain by this movement ;
but, above all, he wished to say it Wes frcm no hostile feel-
ings towards tnem that lie amt others had identified them-
selves with the movement. What was weeded more parti-
cubit ly was that niitalers and mem should meet together and
talk the matter over fairly and calmlj together. He should
at the outset call upon the tab.:rem to make their state-
ments. afel then, sh3uld there be an) tenant-farmer tin-sent
who would like to speak, he should be equally pleased to
hear him.
The lint to answer to his Lordship's appeal was Absolsra
13Licknum, Lynchana, who said he had a wife and fit,
children, his wages being 103. per week. He had to pay Loa.
a year for his cottage. Then he paid dd. a week to a benefit
society. and 51.1. a week to a clothing club. Oct of what
was left there were seven people to be kept. He should be
glad to know how 'twas done, for he didn't. What was the
remainder distributed out over seven people? He had been
trying for a long time to get On, hut the more be tried, the
farther he got behind. k A voice.—". And so do most on
us.")
Thomas Fry next stood forward to speak, and said that
he didn't blame the Illtldieffie PO much as their stewards.
Some time ago a poor widow went to the steward to pay her
rent, when the steward axed her where her two eons were
working, and she told'en that one was working for Mr. So-
and.so, and the other was working at the Swindon factory,
w'len the steward told her that unless her son left Swindon
factory and came back to work for a farmer, she was to be
Mined at of her cottrre. :Shaine') (~ Voice: " Wern't
that Lord 1811.10Ven'a stewarti ") Yes, it wer Lord Lansdown
stewart that did it.
William Beer, of Caine, a very respectable.looking and
welloiressed man, next came forward. He said he had
always worked on the land, and could well recollect the
time when his wages came to lid. per head per day for
himself and family to live upon. But about 20 years ago
he was fortunate enough to tall into a bit of laud, which

assisted Ulm very much. He had known the time when he
was getting 105. a week wages that it took its a week to
buy bread—that was when they got enough ...I it. list he
was thankful that he fell into the bit of laud, for although
It was worse than some of the farmers' adjoining, and was
much higher rented and rated, it enabled him to live. Alter
that he managed to rent another acre, and then he got alto-
gether two acres. This had enabled him to raise himself
above dependence on the farmer for the Ill.as of living,
and was thankful to say that some time ago he managed to
buy an nose of land of his own, and paid .Cl6O for it.
(Cheers.) lie thought if men had a hit of land they could
cultivate on their own account it would make them indus-
trious and it would make them honest. (Cheers.)

Henry lies, of Christian Malford, also bore testimony to
what might be done with a bit of land. He was kicky lu
renting an acre of laml at under the Marquis of tans-
down°, although the far nets we-e renting better land close
by at 375. au acre ; yet it had. enabled hiro to raise himself
'above depen.lenee on the fanner, and had enabled him to
bring up his family of eigh, children, three of whom were
now out at service.

Thomas Newman hoped these meetings would do goo.l.
Very often he had nothing but stsrk-naked bread, tv ci some-
times flat enough of that lits earn(ngs were 11(i. a week,
and he had six in family. Very often ha had to keep his
little ones on lid. a day.
A Voice in the Crowd: May the women speak?
Lord E. Fitzmaurice On, yea, certainly.
A woman here made her wsy through the crowd and took
her stand by the side of the noble president of the meeting,
amid the cheers of the company. She gave her name as
Anne Atter, and said she had eight children, but three of
them were out now. Her husband used to get 95. a week.
but they were much better off now since he had been a milker
am? worked Sundays; he not gow 125. a week. But still she telt
that the poor were screwed down too hard. They had £3 a
year to pay house rent, and it had often gone to her heart
when she had only a bit of bread with nothing on't to part
out among her children. She was thankful her husband got
ins 120. a week through being a milker, but she thought the
poor man was screwed down too hard. (Cheers.)
Lord Edmund Fitzmanrice next addressed the meeting.
Commencing with the remark made by Fry, that the steward
on his rother's estate had threatened to into the widow
woman out of her cottage unless her son left the Swindon
factory and returned to farm-work, his Lordship said he
should have been glad could he have denied the truth of this
altogether ; but be could not. The tale had been brought
to him, and he had thoroughly investigated it, and
was sorry to find there was some truth is it.
But it was not on hi, brother's estate that this had
happened it was not the steward of the Marquis
of Lansdowne who had made use of this threat, but the
steward of a neighbouring clergyman. This fact, he hoped,
would act San caution to persons making statements like the
one they just now heard at meetings like the present one.
Before making statements of the kind they should do, sake
had himself done before repeating it—make a thorough
inquiry into its correctness. (Cheers ) Ilia Lord.hip then
proceeded to review the present movement from its various
aspects, and contended that the end would prove advan-
tage°un to all parties concerned ill it alike. lie counselled
the labourers to be firm, respectful, moderate, and fair,
and then no power unearth could stop this movement. But
It would remain with the men themselves whether an
Increase of wages would be a blessing or a curse to them.
There would still be the beerhouse bidding for a share
of their earnings, but there would also be open to them the
post.ollice savings-bank and ether kindred iustitutions, by
supporting which they might lead themselves on to Inde-
pendence. Having reviewed the five leading features or
rules of the West of England Labourers' Association, his
lordship concluded a long, able, and interesting address,
which was listened to throughout with breathless attention
long after the night had closed is and the eye of the speaker
found it impossible to reach to the outside of the listening
crowd.
. . .

-
Cheers were then proposed, and most heartily given
for Lord Fitzmaurice and Mr. Atherton, after which
the meeting broke up in the most peaceable manner.