The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-01

more, but 1t is the cottage and the aero
that Will make all the difference between
the serf and the independent farm hand,
and will enable him to stand out against
the farmer for even higher wages than
the famous "quid."
One of the greatest evils In the English
countryside today is the shortage of cot
tages. The farmer, of course, receives
no rent in money and he doesn't feel dis
posed 10 build any more than are abso-
lutely necessary for the men on his own
farm. He isn't disposed either to spend
more than he has to on repairs to those
cottages that are in existence. Besides
the shortage of cottages gives him hold
on the men in his employ. A laborer
knows that If he quarrels with his master
he must not only leave the farm. but the
cottage and he knows that there is no
other cottage available In tho neighbor-
hood. He must find another job before he
can find another house. The acre of
ground and security of tenure in it Will
enable him to stick out for higher wages,
for he can, at a pinch. support his fam
lily from the produce of his acre, and let
the farmer wait until he is ready to pay
what is asked
Another feature of the cottage shortage
is rather hard to discuss in newspaper
article. Posts and sentimentalities are
fond of writing about the simple virtue
of the country lad and lass. Now in Eng
land. perhaps, there is no more real i'm
morality among the country folk than
among the town folk, but there is more
illegitimacy, and the reason Is that the
young folk can not get married, because
there are no cottages in which they can
live / know of half dozen villages
within an hour or two's motor ride OF
London where the young people who wish
to marry regularly seek employment In
the towns, not because town life Is any
more attractive, but because 1t Is the
only way in which they can secure u
home for the new family that they are
setting up. Those who are unwilling to
leave the country or who are untitled for
work In the towns must wait until some
of the old folks die before they can
marry.
No doubt the question will be asked
who is going to supply the land needed
to find an acre for every laborer? There
has been a great deal of talk about break
ing up the great sporting estates of the
nobility, but there will be no need to do
this. 1t is doubtful If much of this land
would be available for cultivation even
II it were diverted from its present use
as a rearing ground for game Prof
James Long of the department of ag-
riculture estimates that there Are in Eng
land alone 13.Oo00o0 acres of land goin z
to waste which could with very little ef-
IOTt De IIduc productive. lIlS ne points
out is more than the whole area of agri-
cultural Denmark, and he is sure that
with fixity of tenure it would soon be re-
claimed and made fruitful. Much of 1t Is
so situated that it can be worked much
more proftably in small holdings than
in large farms.
Another piece Of Lloyd George legisla-
tion, which may benefit the agricultural
laborer in a way that was not foreseen
is the national health insurance act
Hitherto all efforts to organize trade un-
ions among the laborers on the land have
failed Now the men must be organized
in their approved societies for working
the benefits under the act and there is
nothing to prevent these societies doing
the work of trade unions, Some OF them
already have organized on trade union
lines and it is expected that before long
a national union will be formed. With
his 'quid'' and his cottage and his acre
and his union, the English farm hand
should soon become very solid and sub
stantial citizen.