THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER.
(TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR..1
you kindly allow us a short apace in the columns of your valuable paper It is in consequence of your remark on the agricultural labourer and the coming winter. You, Sir, call upon statesmen to exert their best power so that something may be done, but unless you get landlord, tenant, and labourer to work in unison, no permanent good will be effected.
No cash union alone will give the agricultural labourer any real and lasting good. It is true that in the past both landlords and tenants have been very remiss, but present them with a fair pro- gramme, and then if they will not heed this, on their own heads must rest the blame of whatever may happen.
We believe our programme, which I take the liberty of sending to you, is a fair one for the three classes. Our society has been in existence for nearly two years, and has gradually gained ground with all classes ; landlords, tenants, and labourers have joined. Our mode of operation is in this way : we establish a branch in a village, ascertain what surplus labour there is,—this we know by the wages paid,—we then gradually drain the district until the wages rise to a certain ratio. The cost of this is defrayed by the funds of the branch. After a sufficient number has been drained off or has emigrated, as the case may be, then the funds are allowed to accumulate (for each branch keeps its own funds) until there shall be sufficient to start a co-operative store or farm, as the case may be. This we propose doing in every village where a branch is established. In addition to this, in order to give the labourer an interest in the work, and to create sympathy between employer and men, we propose that each man shall have an industrial partnership, by which he shall share the profits, and by so doing, feeling his interest in his work, he will be led to share some of the responsibility.
The adoption of this and the programme may lead to the solu- tion of the much-vexed question of wages and hours. At all events, it is not a visionary scheme, but eminently practical, and is in operation now with the best results. Not only is it satisfac- tory in England, but in Germany it has been practically tried, and mathematically proved by Herr von Thunen and others. Land- lords have already adopted the principles of our programme, and have begun the good work. The Speaker of the House of Com- mons advocated our principles on the Glyn estate the other day.
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