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ought to have what they earn iu cash, the employer has no right 

 to compel his men to take what he thinks is proper, the workmen 

 know what suits them best, and they make drink according to their 

 palate. Some of ours have milk and water, others have made gin- 

 ger beer, tea, &c. There is very little drinking going on at work. 

 They begin to find that the less they drink of anything the easier 

 they can work. I helped to stack all the corn and hay grown here 

 last year, and all the drink that was brought on to the farm was 

 tea at five o'clock ; they also have a little skim milk at that time. 

 All our skim milk is given to the labourers (something like twelve 

 gallons per day), they fetch it daily, some in the morning at seven 

 o'clock and the others in the afternoon at five o'clock. We com- 

 mence work at seven, the men leave at twelve for dinner (one hour) 

 their homes being near or on the farm ; commence again at one, and 

 leave at half-past five. If we are busy at hay or harvest work we 

 take tea at five and keep on till eight or after. The average pay for 

 overtime, including beer money, is ls,6d. per day, and some of our 

 people after harvest is over buy themselves new clothes or articles of 

 furniture. Several have said to me " We should not have had this 

 or that if we had been obliged to have had the beer," I try and 

 select active civil men and avoid strangers and loose characters. 

 4. Has it answered well for yourself and men '? Admirably. You may 

 depend I shall never go back to the old system. I know too well 

 the trouble connected with the beer system ; it keeps one employed 

 to draw the beer, wash the vessels, and see that it is served out pro- 

 perly, as well as a constant grumbling, the quality not suiting the 

 men, although when 1 gave beer 1 had mine made in the right season 

 and I gave it them in good condition, still it was not satisfactory. 

 New or sour beer must be very injurious, good food and pure water 

 I find the best thing to work on, and 1 have done as hard work as 

 most people. From between when I was twenty to twenty two 1 

 took nothing but water to drink and I was very strong, and now I 

 am past fifty very few are so strong. 1 am not a strict teetotaller, 

 but the less 1 take of intoxicants the better I am. 'All sensible men 

 know that they do not derive any benefit from alcoholic drinks ; the 

 reason they take it is because they like the flavour of this wine or 

 that liquor. I will just mention that the late Mr. J, Badcock, of 

 Thame, a very successful farmer and good manager, occupying more 

 laud than any other farmer in the parish, gave no beer but paid his 

 men Is. per day in Ueu of beer. All the other farmers gave beer, 

 but Mr. liadcock had the best staff of labourers and got over much 

 more work than his neighbours. That was from 1844 to 1852. The 

 reason he adopted that plan was when he gave beer the men wei'e 

 constantly quarrelling, and I think one man was killed from fighting 

 through the beer. 

 I have managed Mr. Benyon's Home B'arm (750 acres) nearly six years, 

 employing about twenty- five hands, and have given no beer the whole of the 

 time. We have about 400 acres of iiay and corn to harvest, and my expe- 

 rience is this, that it is more satisfactory to the labourers and much less 

 trouble to the employer. We are not annoyed with the complaint of spilt 

 beer or thick and sour beer, for without very great care in keeping the jars 

 and cups constantly washed in hot weather the beer becomes unpalat able and 

 unwholesome. 



I farmed on my own account 18 years at Shinfield. All that time I gave 

 beer through the hay time and harvest. My custom was to have the beer 

 brewed in i^'ebruary and not tapped till early in June. 1 had it made by one 

 of the best Heading brewers, the cost was ls,4d. per gallon. A light pale 

 ale, clean drinking, and always bright and sweet. 1 was very particular in 

 having what we consider pure beer. I also attended as much as 1 could to the 

 drawing of the beer and serving it out, still we had unpleasantness at times. 

 I am employing a man now that was with me iG years at Shinfield, a good 

 sober labourer, and 1 have known him take when he has been pitching corn 



