The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-17 00:00:00

ABOLITION OF STATUTE FAIRS.

A county meeting, convened by the Lord-Lieu-
tenant of Worcestershire, was held at the Shire-
hall at Worcester on Saturday last, "to consider
the best method of improving the system of hiring
agricultural servants." The subject had been much
discussed at the agricultural gatherings in the
county, and the demoralisation introduced and en-
couraged by adhering to the old custom of hiring
at " mops" and statute fairs was loudly denounced.°
Accordingly, a requisition was presented to Lord
Lyttelton (the Lord-Lieutenant), requesting him to
convene a county hall to considsr the subject, and
the meeting was held on Saturday. The chair
was taken by Lord Lyttelton, and among thoso
present were the Hon. F. Lygon, M.P., the Right
Hon. Sir J. Pakington, Sir E. A. H. Lech-
mere,
,&e.

Lord LYTTELTON, in opening the business of the
meeting, said that in his part of the county mops
were not known ; but an attempt had recently been
made to establish them, and he thought he could
trace the origin of the attempt to the same influ-
ence as that described by Mr. llastings in
his paper read at the Social Science meeting at
Liverpool recently—viz., to the enterprise of some
publican in the district. He was not prepared to
enter fully into the subject, but he would say that
if the custom of holding mops and " statutes had
prevailed in a less degree in the cou-nty than he
now learnt it did, he should not have hesitated in

convening the present meeting; for certainly, fro_n
all he had 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 controversy; the only ques-
tion was whether they were necessary evils, or were
counterbalanced by attendant advantages. Looking
at these mops as applicable for the object which
they professed—the engagement of agricultural
servants—he could not see that they were either
convenient or desirable means to the end. The re-

lations between master and servant ought to be
commenced on a different footing ; there should be
soma previous mutual acquaintance, and some
knowledge of the respective character of both

master and servant, which.could not, exist under a

system of hiring at mops. All must depend, as it
were, on. an engagement at first sight, and depen-
dent upon the physical qualities of the servant.
But, beyond this, there must be an evil in the
promiscuous gathering together of youn, persons
of both sexes without control, and there was
with mops an evil which did not necessarily

attend other public gatherings for a particular
object. Why should the assembling together
of farmers and their servants for the purpose of
hiring entail these evils ? The answer given was
that it was not necessary at all, but that the col-

letting together of larie numbers of persons at,

tracte'd others for the sake of profit. This was no
answer to the question why this particular mode
should be adopted in the hiring of agricultural ser-
vants in contradistinction to the mode adopted for

hiring other servants ;. no doubt the custom of hir-
ing at mops arose originally from the isolated posi-
tion of the agricultural classes, but that isolation
was now broken. He had no doubt that if mops

and statutes were simply abolished at once, other
modes of hiring would be found, as in other coun-
ties. It was not, however, proposed to do this now,

but to introduce a system of registration. At the
same time he did not think there was any objection
to the simple abolition of mops. With regard to the
question of providing some recreation and amuse-
ment for the labourers in lieu of the mops, he was
aware that that point had been discussed, but it
was not intended to propose at this meeting any
organised system of recreation for those classes.
He thought that was a subject that might safely be
left to take itenatural 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 and a far more unobjectionable mode of
, amusement than that afforded by the mops for those
whom they employed. (Hear, hear.) His lordship
then briefly stated the course which was proposed
to be adopted for establishing a system of registra-
tion in lieu of statute hirings.
Sir JOIIN PAKINGTON then proposed the that
resolution :--

That the present system of hiring servants at statutes or
mops does not conduce to the interests of the master or the
servant, and that its alteration and amendment, without in-
juring the employer or employed, is most desirable.

He was glad that he had the alternative of speak-
ing of statutes or mops, as he had been long accus-
tomed to dealing with the former, but had no pre-
tensions to a knowledge of the latter. (A laugh.;
He willingly undertook to move that resolution be.
cause he believed that the present system of hiring
at statutes la to considerable evil and mischief.
He hoped to hear from other speakers how far the
doing away with statutes could inflict injury upon
the employers of labour. He believed that no in-
jurious consequences would ensue. He believed that
with regard to the object of engaging agricultural
labourers, these statutes were clumsy and inconve-
nient contrivances, for the reasons which had been
enforced by Lord Lyttelton ; while, on the other
hand, with regard to the other branch of the ques-
tion, there could be no doubt that these gatherings
had a very demoralising tendency. He believed it to
be the fact that very infamous 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.
He only knew of two arguments which could be
adduced in answer to these objections. The first
was the necessity of continuing the meetings with
the view of providing for the employers of agricul-
tural labour that labour which they required. Was
it not then possible to find some other mode of
meeting this requirement, equally good, and free
from the objections which were raised against it ?
Another argument was that the abolition of the
statutes would deprive the agricultural labourers
of that holiday or day of recreation which they en-
joyed under the mop system. Now he was sure that
it was not the object of those who had originated
this meeting to debar the working classes of any
rational amusement or recreation, in proof of which
he could refer to the proceedings of a meeting held
in that county that very week, some of the princi-
pal movers in which had been forward in promot-
ing the present movement. What they desiderated
was social and legitimate enjoyment on the part of
the workinc, classes. If a yearly holiday was de-
sirable for the working classes, let some other mode
of enjoyment be adopted which would be free from
the evils which attended the holding of statutes.
In conclusion, Sir John expressed his belief that the
abolition of mops or statutes would confer essential
berefits, not only upon the employers of labour,
but upon the labouring c asses especially.
Mr. B. BULL, a tenant farmer, seconded the reso-
lution, and said he had been compelled to resort to
statutes to get his servants. He likened them to
going to a fair to buy a horse, with this difference,
that one might be a judge of the quadruped, but
must be in perfect ignorance of the qualities of the
human servant. With regard to the holiday ques-
tion, he thought that was a matter which might be
easily arranged between master and man.
This and the subsequent resolutions were carried
unanimously.
Mr. T. G. CURTLER, county magistrate, moved a
resolution affirming the propriety of establishing a
system of registration in districts, with a central
office at Worcester, thus affording masters and ser-

PRICE . STAMPED, SD•

Tants the means of suiting themselves with the least
trquble and inconvenience.
This was seconded by Col. WALL, and resolutiAs
were also passed for forming a Worcestershire Ser-
vants' Registration Society, of which Lord Lyttel-
ton was to be president.
On the motion of Sir E. A. IL LECIIMERE, se-
conded by the Hon. F. LYGON, M.P., thanks were
voted to Lord Lyttelton for convening the meeting
and presiding, after which the meeting broke up.