Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-12-05
WHERE LIVING is POOR.
Standard Of Life and Wages in Eng
land Below Level Here.

The first part of the report of the
Liberal Land Committee will shortly
be published, and will deal with ru-
raj conditions in England. Sir Alfred
Mond in his informative address be-
fore the Canadian Club in Toronto re-
GREETED his inability to go into details
regarding the results of the inves-
tigation carried out as a preliminary,
to the Liberal land campaign inaugu-
rated at Bedford by Mr.. Lloyd George.
A recent issue of the London Times
states that the first chapter of the
report of the Liberal Land Committee
will be devoted to the wages in ques-
ton in it's various aspects.
Discussing low wages and the
standard of living, the report says it
is obviously impossible to dogma
tie as to the precise sum that consti-
tutes an adequate wage, because,
apart from the various economic con-
siderations, it is difficult to fix the
amount requisite to give color to life
after the necessaries of mere physical
efficiency have been provided" 1t is
added, however, that 1t is possible to
fix with considerable accuracy the
minimum sum necessary to maintain
family of average size in a state
of physical efficiency, and this, it is
held, is the essential preliminary to
fixing an adequate total wage. The
Adequate wage, or the wage nee
essary to maintain physical eff
ciency," Is not stated. 1t is declared
that the number of agricultural Ia
borers' families whose united income
falls below the level of physical eff
cheney" is still exceedingly large,
though the level desired is not stated
IN figures. An inquiry conducted in
the parish Of Corsley, in Wiltshire, by
Miss NJ. f. Davies showed that one
fifth of the agricultural laborers in
regular employment were, with their
families, living below the level of
efficiency through low wages
or largeness of families; while in the
case of Ridgmount, in Bedfordshire,
Mr.. P. H. Mann a few years ago,
it is said, found that nearly one
third of the household lived below
such standard, about one eighth of
them Being in that condition owing
to low wages and largeness of fam
lily.
Quotations are also made from Mr..
Seebohm Rowntree's and Miss Ken
dalls publications to show that in the
case of AZ agricultural laborers' fam
lilies only one of the families obtained
the nutriment necessary to maintain
it in physical efficiency" Stress is
laid in the report on the fact that
on two adjoining farms the wages
of the laborers on the one are some
times as much as so cents a week
more than the wages on the other
farm. To obtain q true estimate of
the conditions prevailing it is neces-
sary to consider the question of
wages in relation tc the cost of liv-
ing in each locality. The report
shows that, whereas in 1900 the cash
wages were placed at the index num-
Der of 100. and the percentage of va
riations of retail prices of food con-
sumed by agricultural lahorers at. the
same index figure, in 1912 the figures
had reached 1o49 and 1863 respective
ly."
One of the grievances of the Eng
lish agricultural laborer is that he is
paid partly in kind. The report says
that the desire to handle money and
to lay it out after ones own fashion
is deeply rooted and that the agri-
cultural laborer feels it to be a griev-
ance that he has no control over part
of what are called earnings. With
regard to hours of labor, it is urged
that the agricultural laborers feel the
long hours and the absence of holt
days nearly as much as the lowness
of wages. In this connection the re-
cent strike in Lancashire u cited,
where the hours of labor was one Of
the chief grievances. Dealing with
the loss of wages through wet yea
Their, the report states that out of
l 1922 replies received it was found that
in 900 cases time was lost when the
weather was wet.-Toronto Globe.