104 BELGIUM - MISCELLANEOUS 



ons, and only employ the labourer when not occupied in field work, or in 

 the evening ; unhappily all of them or almost all have disappeared. 



Clearings properly carried out might give a value to land now waste 

 and keep persons in the country who are now obliged to seek their liveli- 

 hood elsewhere. Praiseworthy efforts have been made in this direction. Fin- 

 ally, the constant residence of the landed proprietors in summer and wint- 

 er would also have a salutory effect. It is a certain fact, said M. August 

 Roberti at the Warenime Meeting, that in the communes where the landed 

 proprietors live on their estates the whole year, this exodus of labourers is 

 scarcely obsrvable. The resident landlord takes a far greater interest in 

 his property and, above all in winter, when the work ceases on other farms, 

 he has many works of improvement, such as planting, draining, etc. 

 carried out. 



Let us say in conclusion, although this is no part of our subject, that 

 measures should be taken for the moral protection of the emigrants, both 

 those who establish themselves permanentl)^ in the towns and those who 

 make use of the labourers' trains (3). The morality of our country people, 

 which has remained so far good, must not suffer too much from their 

 coming in contact with the population of the industrial centres. 



(3) See the Report of Philippen and Matheussen. 



