GROWTH UNDER STORMY SKIES. 213 



than the value of the marginal net product of their work, and 

 holding away from agriculture labour that might, with great 

 advantage to the whole community, be employed there. . . . 



" Now, everybody is aware that agricultural workmen are 

 exceedingly ignorant of what is going on outside their immediate 

 neighbourhood, that their poverty is too great to allow them to 

 hold out for long against attempts to break down, or keep down, 

 the price of their labour, and that they are without the support 

 of a trade union organisation. These circumstances place them 

 in an exceedingly weak position for bargaining with the farmers 

 a position, too, whose weakness is further emphasised when, as 

 is often the case, their employers are also the persons from 

 whom they hire their houses ! " 



Professor Pigou suggested that a minimum rate might 

 drive the inefficient farmer out of business, which he con- 

 sidered a desirable result. He seemed to fear, however, that 

 if fixed too high the wage would attract men from the town, 

 or from other industries into agriculture, and lead to unem- 

 ployment and idleness, and a diminishing of the national 

 wealth. 



Armed with the facts brought to light by the Land 

 Enquiry Report, Mr. Lloyd George started his Grand Tour, 

 in October at Bedford. But here again he was careful 

 not to make any definite pronouncement. His speech was 

 full of the good things the labourers ought to have, but he 

 never outlined a single Bill to contain these things. Instead, 

 his supporters had the satisfaction of vociferously singing The 

 Land Song, which no doubt cheered, them to a certain extent. 



" The first thing you have to do," Mr. George said, "is to 

 deal firmly, thoroughly, drastically with the monopoly " 

 (of land). 



" Take a political map of England and you will find in the 

 main that where the power of the landlord is unchallengeable 

 there the wages are lowest. Can you wonder that the young 

 labourers are, flying by their thousands and scores of thousands 

 away across the sea from such a land of nvau bondage." 



The campaign was continued at Middlesbrough and of/ier 

 places ; but land remained a monopoly. 



Hodge, after being told by the Chancellor of iho Ex- 

 chequer that he ought to have at least ,/Jr a week, grew 



