THE RURAL PROBLEM 27 



No doubt at the present moment there are signs of an 

 awakening; and even if left to themselves, the men who till 

 the fields will not be long in claiming a fairer reward for 

 their labour. But one of the strongest arguments for a 

 minimum wage law is that it will stimulate that movement. 

 Such a law would call into existence, in every district, a 

 board on which the workers would be directly represented. 

 It is impossible to overestimate the far-reaching effect of 

 this upon the agricultural labourers as a class. If they 

 have remained unorganised hitherto, it is because it has 

 been found impossible to organise them under existing 

 conditions, but the requirements of a Minimum Wage Act 

 will provide just the necessary stimulus, and cannot fail to 

 result in bringing them speedily into line with other sections 

 of the industrial movement. 



There are certain difficulties in applying the principle of 

 the minimum wage to agriculture, of which the true 

 solution must be found. 



The first point to decide is whether there should be one 

 uniform national rate applying over the whole country ; or 

 whether the minimum should be different for different 

 districts. It is most important to have a uniform national 

 rate, for the following reasons : 



(1) If backward districts are allowed to remain backward, 

 the object of the minimum wage would be largely defeated 

 at the outset. 



(2) The cost of living in rural districts does not vary 

 much all over the country, the chief variation being in 

 the cost of rent. 



(3) Differences within a county area would often be as 

 great as differences over the whole country. It is as easy 

 to surmount the one difficulty as the others. 



(4) By a uniform national rate the constant difficulties 

 that would arise on the margins of areas would be avoided. 

 A farmer in Hertfordshire would rightly resent being 

 compelled to pay a higher wage than his competitor in the 

 same markets across the Buckinghamshire border. 



A similar point to be decided is whether to have the same 

 rate for all grades of workers, or to have a separate minimum 

 for horsemen, cattlemen, and shepherds. In some districts 



