GROWTH UNDER STORMY SKIES. 179 



destined, in spite of its failure, to lay the foundation stone 

 of the now powerful organisation " The National Agri- 

 cultural Labourers' and Rural Workers' Union." 



The Union was then known as the Eastern Counties 

 Agricultural Labourers' and Small Holders' Union, with a 

 membership of only 4,000. A branch had been started at 

 St. Faith's in September, 1906, by Mr. George Edwards, the 

 General Secretary of the Union, who addressed a meeting 

 in the village. Twenty labourers joined, and amongst these 

 was Mr. G. E. Hewitt, who was elected branch secretary. 



Three and a half years passed, and the Branch member- 

 ship rose to 131, but no rise in wages occurred. Men were 

 still getting their miserable wage of 133. a week. On April 

 29th, 1910, a member of the branch proposed that they 

 should make a determined effort to secure better wages 

 and shorter hours. Mr. Herbert Day, the vice-president of 

 the Union, Mr. Thacker, the organiser, and Mr. George 

 Edwards were summoned to a special meeting, and a reso- 

 lution was passed that the General Secretary should write to 

 all the employers in the parish requesting a rise of is. per 

 week, and that work should cease at I o'clock on Saturdays. 



It is interesting to note that the lack of a half-holiday 

 continued to be the hay-seed in the shirt of the labourer. 

 The notice was sent out to every employer, but not a single 

 answer was vouchsafed. Thereupon it was resolved that 

 every man should give notice to his employer to cease work 

 on May 21 unless these moderate requests were granted. 

 To the surprise of the villagers, the dawn of that morning 

 broke with the sight of mounted police riding up and down 

 the quiet village street with their warlike trappings glitter- 

 ing in the sun ! 



The Farmers' Federation had evidently impressed the 

 chief constable at Norwich with the idea that the agricul- 

 tural labourers were a dangerous class, or possibly this 

 extraordinary exhibition of force was merely a demonstra- 

 tion such as we carry out among the Hill Tribes of India. 



The Farmers' Federation displayed very much the same 

 spirit as the last generation of farmers had displayed during 

 Arch's active time. They imported men from all parts of 



