CONTINUITY OF EMPLOYMENT. 39 



animals. These are often, but not invariably, paid 

 when they are sick or unable to work in consequence 

 of the weather. 



Ordinary labourers, however, when employed by 

 the week, anywhere, are not often paid when they 

 cannot for any cause, work, although in this respect 

 large employers of labour are more generous than 

 the smaller farmers. Possibly all farmers would be 

 more generous compulsorily so in their own interests 

 were it not for the sick benefit clubs, and the "rates," 

 upon which the labourer must fall back if he has no 

 " club " ; or in cases of prolonged illness, when the 

 club pay, if any, becomes automatically reduced. 



It may here be said that the fact of Boards of 

 Guardians, which generally consist, in rural districts, 

 of farmers, or, at any rate, which usually have a 

 considerable majority of farmers on them, having to 

 administer poor relief out of public funds, the recipients 

 being mainly agricultural labourers, is not calculated 

 to promote the individual generosity of the farmer- 

 employer ; and the reduction of that excellent quality 

 of heart is not likely to be affected, when the law 

 provides, as it now does, that the receipt of parish 

 relief shall not debar the recipient from obtaining an 

 old-age pension. If the farmer-employer and guardian 

 of the poor knows that if he does not pay a labourer 

 during sickness or disablement of any kind, the " parish " 

 as represented by the guardian-employer will do so, 

 the knowledge will not encourage him to put his 

 hand, more than he does now, into his own pocket, when 

 the money can so easily come from elsewhere. 



Naturally, the maximum staff required for the working 

 of a farm, large or small, cannot be maintained through- 

 out the year ; because the same number of servants 

 will not be required during slack seasons. This 

 difficulty of keeping men employed equally all the 

 year round, chiefly exists in the big corn-growing districts 



