174 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. 



and was living on an annuity purchased by Lord Tweed- 

 inoutli, Mr. Torn Ellis, and other influential Liberals. 



Arch, \vith old-fashioned peasant hospitality, immediately 

 called to the kitchen for a bottle of beer and set his tobacco 

 jar upon the table, and I should like to record here some of 

 the answers made by Arch to the questions put to him by 

 Mr. Iligdon. 



" Do you take any part in politics, locally, Mr. Arch ? ' 

 "Me? Xo ; I'm too old for that no\v. Besides, Parish 

 Councils cannot do much neither good nor harm. I have done 

 a little for the village in my time. I can remember when the 

 pro] >le in this village had no idea of freedom or liberty. I have 

 taught the villages something of freedom. But my work is all 

 dune now, sir. My work is all done," he repeated sadly. 



It must have been with a gleam of triumph that the 

 veteran agitator compared the wages received by farm 

 workers in 1909 with the wages he managed to get for them 

 in the 'seventies. 



" \Yhat is this new Labourers' Union they have there now ? " 

 he asked suddenly. 



' You have heard about it, then ': ' 



" A little ; not much," he said rather sarcastically. 



" I think its objects are similar to those of your own Union 

 better conditions and wages. It also takes up the matter of smal 

 holdings.' 



" \Yhat are the wages in Norfolk now ? " he next enquired. 



" About I2s. or 13*. a week," was the reply. 



" Is that all 

 1 6s., and ITS. 



down about h 



Why," he. exclaimed, " I got them up to I5s., 

 i week. They got it in Norfolk, they got it all 

 iv. '1 hey got it everywhere." 

 ' The new Union has not done that vet," I said. 

 "Ah, we did then in our Union," he said, with evident 

 satisfaction at the remembrance of the accomplishment. 



Could those wages have been k< pt up, Mr. Arch ? " I asked. 



Iv pt il])? Yes. Whv weren't, they kept up? Because 



the Union \\i nt down and thr wajA-s went down with it. 1 he 



ni' ire li >r tin in. t hen ? 

 No ; of course I could not. I stood by them to the la^t. I 

 could do no nior, . h tin y had kept up tin ir Union tiny would 

 have 1" < n in a \- ( ry diin n nt position to-day." 

 " You sympathise with the labourers still ? " 



