26 



AuwELL Houst;, Tklsworth, Oxon, 



June 13th, 1881. 

 Deak Sik, — My abscence from home has delayed your letter. I am 

 afraid that my experience Mill not aid the object that you have in view. 

 For the last lU years or more, 1 have always paid my labourers iu liard cash, 

 instead of beer, in the hope that they would expend it iu food instead of drink, 

 1 find they work well and sometimes save their money. i)i\ long and hot 

 days 1 give them tea in the evening as an extra. 1 am afraid that they would 

 not leave off beer entirely in the day time. 1 should like to know what sub- 

 stitute can be given. Yours faithfully, 



H. BlKCli KEYNA11DS0:N, (J.P, Oxon). 



liULSTllOJ>K ESTATK, GeKKAKD's ChoSS. 



July 23rd, 1878. 

 Dkar Sik, — 1 thank you for sending me the new leaflet about tea in the 

 harvest field. The circulation must do good. I do my best to circulate the 

 British Workman and other papers of a temperance charaeter amongst the 

 workmen in this locality. Tliis year on this estate we have paid the men in the 

 hoy-jield money instead of yivino them beer. Through the kindness of 

 J. liramley JMoore Esq., we have a very excellent free reading room here, for 

 the working men. Yours truly, HENllY WITtlAM. 



NUNEIIAM CoUllTENAY, OXFOUD, 



June IGth, 1881. 

 !SiB, — In answer to your letter of the I3tli instant, I beg to send you the 

 following answers to your questions : — 



1. We have not given beer for ten years. 



2. During the hay season cash is given instead of beer ; but all the 

 harvest work is done by piece-work, when neither beer-money nor beer 

 is given. 



3. The work is more satisfactorily carried on, on the above s}stem, than 

 when beer was given. In some instances the old plan of giving beer woi'ked very 

 badly, to say nothing of the men taking too much ; for some of the men did 

 not care to have beer, so that they had neither beer nor numey ; but now 

 those who like to save their money are able to do so, and those who will persist in 

 spend'Ug the money allowed for beer, do so on their own responsibility at any 

 rate. 



4. I consider the system, as explained above, has worked very satisfactorily. 

 1 have, during our hay -making, which season was terribly hot, had tea sent 



to the men every afternoon, in addition to the money payment, and 1 

 found that the plan Avas thoroughly appreciated. 



1 am more in favour of giving an allowance in money, than in any other 

 plan ; it will not stop the older hands from having beer, but it gives the 

 younger ones an opportunity of not contracting a habit of drinking on every 

 occasion. Payment in cash gives the young labourer a chance of becoming a 

 depositor in the savings bank, and from a "thrift" point of view, is very 

 much more useful than giving tea, cocoa, coffee, &c. Another thing, it is a 

 much more business like arrangement between employer and employed ; the 

 employer knows what he gives, and the employed what he will get. 



Faithfully yours, F. MAIK, 



Mr. J. Abbey. (Steward to E, W. Harcourt, Esq., M.P. for Oxon.) 



Chalk Pit Farm, Englefield, Reading 



June 1 J, 1881. 

 Dear Sir, — 1 will with pleasure answer your questions. 



1. How many years have you abandoned the beer? Six. 



2. If you consider the men do their M'ork as well? Quite so ; I may say 



better. 



3. Have you paid in hard cash , or have you paid part in money and 



given some other drink as well. If so, what sort of drink did you 

 give, and how did you manage it? We pay in cash, l^d. an hour 

 extra in hay time and harvest, or Is. (5d. per day if Ave make long 

 days ; from seven till six, Is. per day. It is my opinlou iaboui'ers 



