312 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. 



had resented the invasion of the State tractor in their parks 

 and meadows, and certain features of the Land Facilities 

 Bill, and attacked right and left by the farmers, who de- 

 tested the policy of control and supervision, Lord Ernie 

 resigned office. Thus passed a great gentleman from the 

 high office he had filled with dignity and fairness during 

 the nation's darkest hours. Before he resigned the Govern- 

 ment had agreed, after receiving the decision of the Indus- 

 trial Council, at which employers and employed were equally 

 represented, to include agriculture in the forthcoming 

 Forty-eight Hours Bill. 



Into Lord Ernie's place stepped Lord Lee, the friend of 

 the Prime Minister. No sooner was the Baron seated than 

 he tried to break a lance with that doughty Knight, Sir 

 Ailwyn Fellowes, and the Baron fell most ingloriously in 

 combat. Without understanding, he tilted at the new 

 fifty and forty-eight hours Order, making the blunder, which 

 no Minister of Agriculture should have made, of assuming 

 that no farm labourer \vas to be allowed to work more than 

 these hours. The Knight, backed by his loyal followers, 

 fell upon the Baron and wounded him sorely, telling him 

 unequivocally that there was no law in the land to prevent 

 the farm labourer if he chose from working all day and all 

 night provided the proper overtime rates were paid. 



The Royal Commission on Agriculture, owing to the 

 clumsiness of the Government, did not meet until July was 

 far advanced, and when the members sat round the table 

 for the first time, they discovered that the terms of refer- 

 ence on which they had consented to enquire had been 

 altered since acceptance by the majority of them. The 

 terms were now " to enquire into the economic prospects 

 of the agricultural industry in Great Britain with special 

 reference to the adjustment of a balance between the 

 prices of agricultural commodities, the costs of production, 

 the remuneration of labour, and /sours of employment." 



The words " hours of employment " had been added to 

 the original terms of reference. Why ? 



Because the Government had after including agriculture 

 in the first Hill presented decided to exclude agriculture from 



