The land over here in this Welsh-English mountain country of
Monmouthshire is rich land for a mountain land. The sheep and cattle are fat. The grass is very green, and almost luscious. The red soil yields easily to the plough and grows good wheat and other kinds of grain. But little of it is ploughed, at any rate considerably less than before the War. The farmers complain that they are worked to death for little profit. They say it is not worth while their growing grain. It is better to rear sheep and cattle ; but even that rural industry does not pay. They tell me that the chief reason for their failing prosperity is the expense of labour. There is a fixed minimum wage today for the labourer, who has to be paid more than they can afford. So they have to go with short hands, and cannot develop their land. In any case they make slight profits. But it is the small farmer rather than the large farmer who is so checked and impeded.
Previous page
