The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-11-22 00:00:00

ABOLITION OF STATUTE FAIRS.

A county meeting, convened by the Lord Lieutenant.
of Woreesterhire. was held at the Shirehall at WoreLai.
kr on Saturday week, "to consider the best method of
improving the system of hiring agricultural servants."
The subject had been much discussed at the agricultu-
ral gatherings in the county, and the demoralisation in-
troduced and encouraged by adhering to the old custom
of hiring at " mops" and statute fairs was loudly des
noanced. Accordingly a requisition was presented to
Lord Lyttleton (the Lord-Lieutenant), requesting 1*
to convene a minty hall to consider the subject, and the
nseeting was held on Saturday. The chair was taken by
Lord Lyrtolton, and among those pr m sent were the non.
F. Lyon, M.P., the Itim;lmt Hon. Sir J. Pakingtou,
311. P., Sir E. A. li. Lechmere. u.
Lord Lyttelton, in 01,1111, the business of the meet-
ing, said that in his part 44.4 the enmity sops Were liot
known • lel: DU atkillpt 11,1,11 recently Issd% made to
est:dal:mit them, and he It ght he could trace the origin
of the attempt ta the some intlitenee as that denribed
by 31r. nesting,' in his paper read at the Social Science
meeting at Liverpmeml recently—viz., to the enterprbe of
some publican in the district. Ile was not prepared to
enter fully into the subject, but he would say that if
the custom of holding loops alid statutes had prevailed
in a less degree in the county than he now learnt it did,
he should is it have hesitated in convening the present
meeting ; for certainly, from all he hael heard and read,
he was convinced that the evil which it was their
present object to correct Was a serious one. (Hear,
hear.) That these mops were evils was beyond contro-
versy ; the only question was whether they were neces-
sary evils, or were counterbalanced by attendant ad-
vantages. Looking at these mops as applicable for the
object which they professed—the engagement of agricul-
tural servants—he could not see that they were either
convenient or desirable means to the end. The rela-
tions between master and servant ought to be com-
menced on a different footing ; there should be some
previous mutual acquaintance sad some knowledge of
the respective character of both master and servant,
which could not exist under • aystein of hiring at mops.
All must depend, as it were, on an engagement at first
sight, and dependent upon the physical qualities of the
servant. lint, beyond this, there insist be an evil in the
promiscuous gathering together of young persons of
both sexes without control, and there was with mops an
evil which did not necessarily attend other public
gatherings for • particular object. Why should
the assembling together of Cornier% and their
servants for the purpose of hiring entail these
evils The answer given was that it was
I not necessary at all, but that the collecting together of :
large numbers of persons attracted others for the sake
:of profit. This was tet answer to the question why this
particular mode should be adopted in the hiring of agri-
cultural servants in contradistinction to the mode
adopted for hiring other servants ; no doubt the custom
of hiring at ps ones onginally from the isolated posi-
tion of the agricultural classes, but that isoletion was
now broken. Ile haml no doubt that if mops and sta-
tutes were simply abolished at once, other modes of hir-
ing would be f ii, as in other counties. It was not,
however, proposed to do this now, hilt to introduce a
system of registration. At the same time he did not
think there wns any objection to the simple abolition of
mops. With regard to the question of providing some
recreation and 1111111AellIelit for the labourers in lieu of
I time mops, he was aware that that point had been dis-
cussed, but it Was nmd intended to propose at this meet-
' Mg any organized system of recreation for those classes.
Ilie thought that was a subject that might safely be left
to take its natural course. It Was a subject which was
very much thought of in these days, and he thought
that the employers of labour, under the advice of the
clergy and gentry resident around them, would be found
willing and ready to provide a better mid a far More Ull-
ohjeCtiollahle mode of alllUsWiiielit than that afforded by
the mops for those whom they employed. (Hear, hear.)
His I.ordship then brichly stated the course which was
propose" to be adopmted for establishing a system of
registration in lieu m,f statute hiring'.
Sir John Pokington then prolmosed the first resole-
time :—" That the present system of hiring servants at
statutes or mops does not condere to the interests of the
master or the imervant, and that it,, alteration and
amendment, without injuring the employer or employed
is most desirshle.- He was glad that he haml the alter-
native of speaking of statutes or mops, as lie had been
Immg accustomed to deal with the former, but had no
pretenmions to a knoulisige of the latter. (A laugh.)
He willingly undertook to move that resolution, because
he believe.' that the ',resod system of hiring at statutes
led to considerable evil and mischief. He hopssi to hear
from other Speaker% how far time doing away with sta-
tutes could inflict injury upon the employers of labour.
Ile believed that no injurious consequences would ensue.
Ile believmsi that, with regard to the °Ned of rngaging
agricultural lalsmurers, these statutes were clumsy and in-
convenient contrivances. for the reasons which had been

enforced by Lord I.:Sefton ;while, on the other hand,
with regard to the other branch of the question, tlere
could lie no tioubt that these gatherinp had • very de-
montliting tendency. lie believed it to he the fact that
very bad and infa 1111 l nit characters were in the habit of
attending these statutes, and that they imposed on the
employers of labour and inflicted great moral injury on
those who came to be hired. Ile only knew of two ar-
guments which could be adduced in answer to these ob-
jections. The first was the necessity of continuing the
meetings with the view of providing for the employers
iif agricultural labour that lalciur which they reiluired.
Was it not, then, possible to find 1101111 e other mode of
meeting this requirement, equally good, and free from
the objections which were raised against it' Another
argument *NA that the abolition of the statutes would de-
prive the agricultural lalouret of that holiday or day of
recreation which they enjoyed ler the 1111 l p system.
Now he was sure that it was not the object of those who
had originated this meeting to debar the working &mites
of any rational sement or recreation, in proof of
which lie could refer to the joroceedings of a meeting
held in that county that very week, SOIIIP of the princi-
pal movers in which hail been forward in promoting
the present movement. What they desitlerated was
social and legitimate enjoyment on the part of the
working classes. If a yearly holiday was desirable for
the working classes, let onne other mode of enjoyment
be adopted which would he free from the evils which at-
tended the holding of statutes. In conclusion, Sir John
expresLsed his belief that the abolition of mope or statute
would confer essential benefits, not only upon the
employers of labour, but upon the labouring classes
especially.
.Mr. If. Run, a tenant farmer, seconded the resolution,
and sail he had been compelled to resort to statutes to
get his servants.. Ile likened them to going to a fair to
buy a horse, with this difference, that one might be •
I judge of the quadruped but umat be in perfect ignorance
iif the qualities of the human servant. With regard to
the holiday question, he thought that was • matter
which might be easily arranged between master and
lion.
This and the subsequent resolutions were curried
tumuli 1111 l usly.
Mr. T. tl. t'urtler, county magistrate, meted • reso-
lution affirming the propriety of oitablishing a system
id' registration in districts, with a central office at
%Worcester, thus affonling masters and servants the means
of suiting themselves with the least trouble and Moon-
venienee.
Tilk wail seconded by Oil. Wall, and resolutions were
passed for forming a WormiterAire Servants' Regis-
tration Society, of which Lord Lyttelton was to be presi-
dent. . . . .

(hi the 'notion of Sir E. A. H. Leehniere, seconded by
the llou. F. Lygon, thetiks were voted to Lord
Lytteltou for 11,11VC g the meeting mud presiding, after
which the meeting broke up.