THE FARMERS' DEFENDER 



the rural labourer returns from the war he will 

 have to receive fuller consideration in the future 

 than he has had in the past if he is to be retained 

 on the land. It will be not merely a question 

 of higher wages, but of better conditions generally, 

 especially with regard to housing. This is much 

 too big a question to enter upon in these pages, 

 but, to put the matter shortly, those masters who 

 have not sufficiently realized their responsibilities 

 towards the workers will have to come into line 

 with those and, thank Heaven, there are many 

 such ! who have had a better conception of 

 their duty in this respect. The war has done a 

 good deal to remodel opinions, Parliamentary and 

 otherwise, concerning the British farmer, and now 

 that Mr. Lloyd George has taken up the cudgels 

 on his behalf and delivered a splendid defence of 

 him, as an answer to his detractors, one need 

 not pay much attention to what the smaller fry 

 may say and think. 



Among other excellent developments arising 

 out of the war is the instituting by the Board 

 of Agriculture of a general inquiry throughout 

 England and Wales into the present conditions 

 of employment in agriculture. This will put the 

 Agricultural Wages Board into possession of full 

 and definite information with regard to present 

 rates of wages for time and piecework, benefits 

 and advantages given as supplementary to cash 

 wages, hours of labour, rents and tenure of 

 cottages, and economic condition of farm workers 

 generally. It will also help to clear up many 

 disputed points, and, by placing the Board in 

 possession of detailed information as to the 



91 



