224 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



on the agricultural industry as would give a 

 decent and contented living to the workers, 

 without a parallel effort to enable the industry 

 to pay the wages, the result will be its more 

 rapid extinction. 



That some slight betterment in agricultural 

 wages is possible in odd districts under present 

 conditions is perhaps true. The astonishing 

 variations in rates in different parts, and the fact 

 that the higher rates rule usually in the districts 

 where there is the strongest competitive demand 

 for labour, indicate that. But no farmer whom 

 I have asked will allow that there is a possibility 

 of any material general increase. All are agreed 

 that a legislative enactment raising wages would 

 involve the dismissal of the less competent 

 workers, and the dismissal from the plough of 

 some proportion of the present woefully small 

 area of arable land. And on the question of 

 " passing on " the increase to the landlord by 

 demanding a lower rent the farmer was very 

 scornful. He pointed out that rent agreements 

 were for a term of years ; that in cases of ten- 

 ancies falling in now, the disposition of the land- 

 lord is to ask for higher rents ; that very many 



