THE BRITISH RURAL PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1897, 4 November 1913, Page 11

THE BRITISH RURAL PROBLEM.

SOME SUGGESTIONS BY UNIONIST MEMBERS. "A Unionist Agricultural Polioy: by a Grouj) of Unionists," is the title of a small sixpenny book which is published by Mr. John Murray. The group" is anonymous, but as a not inconsideri ;° P ar ' i „ the book is devoted to a defence of tho Agricultural Boards Bill, introduced: late in tho last scission by Mr. Hills—'his backers being Mr. Astor, Lord Henry Cavendish Bentinck, Mr. Leslie Scott, Sir Mark Sykes, and Captain Woigali—»it would not bo difficult to guess tho names of tho joint authors. In a prefatory sentence it is explained that t.io 'memorandum" has been proP l ™, by a number of Unionists in and out or 1 and 1 is aji attempt to lornmlatG a definite and comprehensive policy for tho development of British agriculture." Food Production. Tho first- point made is that tho annual production of food in Great Britain—tho value is 151 millions, excluding food produced and consumed on tho holdings—might bo greatly increased ifasound_ agricultural policy is pursuod. Thirty-six persona are employed per 1000_ acres of cultivated nTea as against 75 in Denmark; and if. tho urge, "intensive mothods of cultivation are more generally employed, there is no reason why tho figure ot ,7, p cnniar '' : should not bo reached. To put tho contention in its most Modest forty, we might expect am in- ; crease of at least 500,000 men in tho agricultural population, either as labourers or small holders. Nor is 6ueh 'a view without justification from, tho history of tho past. In 1851, in England and_ Wales, 1,712,739 persons were engaged in .agriculture; fifty years later this number had fallen to 1,192,167, ft deolin® of more than half a million. There seems to be no reason why, if prices remain steady, and if methods of cultivation are improved, we should not bo able to revert to the original figure. Tho importance o.f this from tho point of view of labour and production is obvious. It has been calculated that tho annual food production per labourer is £129. _ On this basis the increased labouring population would inorease the production of homo-grown food by upwards of £80,000,000 per annum. Tins, is a deoidedly conservative estimate, as tho present average output is based , verv largely on an extensive system of cultivation, and as cultivation becomes moro and moro intensive tho average will bo proportionately raised." Among tho national considerations that make imperative a rovival of tho agricultural _ industry arc tho maintenance of 1 uational physique, tho work of social reform, and the prevention of pajiic in times of war. It is urged that tho general low standard of agricultural wages has an important effect in keeping down the w»rcs of unskilled workors in ±ho towns. Further, from tho point of view of defonce> a panio on tho price of foodstuffs in our great industrial centres might nullify the bost-kid plan of naval and military campaign, and for this tho only effective remedy ij to incroaso tho production of homegrown wheat. The Rent of tho Problem. . The Unionist party, say tho authors, u peculiarly fitted to deal fairly with •the different interests involved in tho problem ''by its general conception of national policy because it stands for State aid and encouragement of private enterprise, as opposed to the Radical principles of State control and land nationalisation," Tlio root of the problem—socially and economically—is tho labourer, who, it, is insisted, is at his best "a skilled,workman." In agriculture, unliko other industries) "tho individual worker plays a most important part in its economy," but li in many counties th§ great majority of labourers are ill-educated and ill-fed, and consequently inefiloient both mentally and physically." Thoy have no effective organisation, and /' 'therefore it becomes necessary to establish somo means of raising wages to a subsistence level." Then tlio authors proceed to an explanation and defence of Mr. Hilhj's Bill, which, it will bo remembered, is a proposal to extend. tho operation of the Trade Boards Act, passed to deal with sweated industries in tho great towns, to agricultural labourers in certain districts specified in a Schednlo to the Bill. The authors of tlio pamphlet write "Wo would ask thoso critjois who are opposod to tho establishment of wages Boards to suggest somo other scheme by which wages may bo raised. Tho ovil is admitted on ail sides, and any constructive proposal is certain to receive full consideration. In the absence of a counterproposal wo make ft strong appeal to such eritios to give the u ages Board _ their support, and to direct their criticism towards tho improvement of the scheme. At tlw samo time if there nro com© who, while unable to advance a concrete proposal, yet think that the remedy which wo propose is powerless to remedy tlio disease, wo nro sure that their inability to accept this particular proposal will not prejudice their consideration of the other Tefornis which wo advocate."

Villago Llfo. fho pamphlet proceeds to deal with tho reconstruction of villago life so as to give the labourer an opportunity of acquiring an interest in tho land, to ensuro a sufficiency of allotments, to sco that every oottago shall have at least quarter of an acre of garden, and to provide common cow pasture for It is suggested that tho Board of Agriculture should appoint a representative in each district, assisted by a co-opted committer, which might well consist of members of tho County Council known to bo interested in tho question, to consider tho needs of each villago in tho district and U P schemes. Thes-o sehemea, After -receiving tho sanction of tho wro; would be put into execution by tho Parish Council. Tho nocossary powers of compulsory purchase would, of course, bo vested m tho board or tho Parish Council. To meet tho present dearth of rural cottages, nnnual grants should bo made to local authorities, aB provided by tho Unionist Housing

Larger education grants for rural subjocrts, a nioro practical sy&temof cicmontnry education in agricultural districts, continuation classes adapted to tho requirements of those districts, and tho development of instructional facilities for the adult aro advocated. An extension of small holdings where thoy can profitably worked— and this, vn tho opinion of tlio authors, is tho_ case in many districts under an mtensivo Bystem of cultivation is favoured, as well as tho colony system. On tho latter point tho experience of tils Cheshire Count}/ Council, which applied tlio method to larger farms in a uniry district, is quoted. Tho total acrsago of tho Cheshire colony is 3277, and the effect of the conversion of tho land into small holdings is shown in this tablo:

It is essential, howover, tlmt' tho small-holders should havo "instruction and guidance" by "a resident agricultural instructor." Tho authors urgo tho necessity for organising _ ro-operiltion, tho establishment of credit banks, and tho extension of tho facilities for land purchasii on tho lines of Mr. Jcgso Col-1 Ungs's Bill. A readjustment of local mid Imperial taxation—tho coßt of mib-.

lie services, such as main roads, asylums, police, a larger proportion of the education rate being defrayed out of Imperial funds—is also insisted on, as well as tlk; strengthening of tho powers and resources of tho Board of Agriculture; greater facilities for transport, giving homo produco a preferential rato on tho railways; tho training of Poor Law children so as to fit thorn for a cnrccr on the land, and tho encouragement of subsidiary industries—fot instance, sugar, tobacco, bacon, crude alcohol] creameries, and pulpfilii mills. "Finally Some nrraiigemont of our fiscal system, whether internal or external, should bo carried out, which will civo to agriculture reasonable security.

Beforo After odnvcrsion, conversion. Pcoplo 720 432 Cattle 808 1,48!) Horsoa 84 190 I'igs 130 G90 Poultry 720 3,880