Land Problems and National Welfare 



association for him, Mr. Jesse Collings' Rural 

 Labourers' League. This is not quite in line 

 with the other agricultural societies, in that it is 

 decidedly party in character, for it works hard 

 for Unionist candidates in all rural constituen- 

 cies. Its chief object is to develop small owner- 

 ship, and it is most strong in those parts of 

 England where there is a demand for owner- 

 ship. This league has succeeded in attaining a 

 membership of some 10,000, which is good when 

 one thinks of the great difficulties in the way 

 of persuading country labourers to join any 

 society. 



There is one other society, a definite union 

 of labourers this time, still more "party"' in 

 spirit, being strongly Radical, if not Socialistic, 

 and its aim is to raise the labourer's wages. I 

 say nothing against that, but it also teaches the 

 labourer to seek his own interests as apart from 

 those of farmer and landowner, and it is to be 

 hoped that the Norfolk Union will not spread. 



To consolidate satisfactorily the agricultural 

 interests it is essential to bring the labourer 

 into the movement. It is necessary to organise 

 him into unions — analagous to the Farmers' 

 Union — which must needs be non-party in 

 character. 



The agricultural movement requires the 

 labourer's vote — at present, his main object in 

 many districts is, alas ! to vote the opposite way 



278 



