160 A NEW AGRICULTURAL POLICY 



the clay, the sand, and some of the wood and 

 slate required. Guilds of brickmakers, and 

 building operatives, might easily act in co- 

 operation with Guilds of farm workers, and the 

 saving to the community in the cost of building 

 materials would be great. The presence of 

 blacksmiths, engineers, carpenters, and brick- 

 layers on large farms would be most helpful to 

 agriculturists in effecting repairs to building 

 and machinery. Houses, however, would have 

 to be provided for those who build houses. 

 Accommodation might in some measure be 

 found in the empty rooms of large country 

 houses. We had to house soldiers thus in 

 war-time ; why not house the soldiers of 

 industry in this period of reconstruction ? 

 Large country houses with about thirty bed- 

 rooms, and affording accommodation for two 

 old ladies and a lap-dog might be usefully 

 converted into country inns. Incidentally, in 

 supplying food to the operative builders and 

 other industrial workers direct from the farm, 

 not only would there be a ready market for a 

 portion of the produce but a saving in trans- 

 port expenses would be effected. 



And the swarm of officials? Incidentally 

 farmers should be the last persons to complain 

 about hordes of officials. Their failure to de- 

 liver the goods in war-time, their incorrigible 

 law-breaking habits expressed by refusing to 

 pay the minimum wage, created a horde of 



