72 THE AGRICULTURAL CLUB. 



The law was at last abolished, but that has not led, as Smith 

 and others thought it would lead, to the abolition of the system, 

 which, on the contrary, has continued to flourish on the volun- 

 tary basis, as the public were not long in discovering that the 

 regularly trained workman was the only one whose work could 

 be relied on. 



It is not easy to see why those principles of monopoly, based 

 upon ascertained proficiency, which are so rigorously enforced 

 in the learned professions, should not have some application at 

 least in the case of workmen. It is also worthy of notice that 

 the rise of Trades Unions was coincident with the fall of the 

 old trade corporation thus indicating that certain classes of 

 workmen felt the necessity for some more powerful and orderly 

 protection than the mere operation of supply and demand. 



For these and other reasons I believe that few practical men 

 would to-day deny the advantages of apprenticeship, for while 

 no one would advocate the restoration of the old guilds with 

 their exclusive privileges, many would incline to advise the 

 institution of some order or degree by which a workman who 

 has passed through an apprenticeship might be distinguished 

 from those who have not done so. 



As far as Agriculture is concerned, the teaching should of 

 course begin at school, and every country school and all new 

 town schools, where possible, should have a garden, where 

 boys and girls could be encouraged to learn the rudiments of 

 horticulture at least. 



Anyone on leaving school, who wished for such training, 

 should be apprenticed on good farms such as we hope the Govern- 

 ment demonstration farms will be (when they are started), 

 or to certain farmers who were helping with demonstration 

 areas, and certain other farms where a high standard was reached. 



If the Minister of Education wishes to insist on every one 

 staying at school till they are 16, schools where practical Agricul- 

 ture is taught must be provided. 



The course should last certainly not less than five years, and 

 the minimum wage should not apply until a lad has passed out 

 of liis apprenticeship, but when he did pass out, he should be 

 entitled to a higher wage than the ordinary labourer on the 

 land, who had not done so. 



There should be no fixed graduation at each birthday as at 

 present, as no one can say that it is fair that a lad, who has 

 never known anything about Agriculture before, should be 

 given a certain wage just because he is a certain age. 



A wage should, however, be fixed for an apprentice, whether 

 he begins at 14 or 17, increasing as he becomes skilled. 



An apprentice who began at 14 should get the full certificated 

 skilled man's wage at the end of his apprenticeship probably 



