1920."! Village Clubs Association Conference. 80 J 



the migration of villagers to the towns, the paper stated that the 



agriculture of a settled country never expands rapidly enough 

 to absorb all the natural increase in the agricultural population, 

 and that although improvements in conditions should lead to 

 our agriculture absorbing the whole of the coming generation, 

 the current of migration must start again later, and be 

 stronger than before. 



" The Recreational Demands of the Villages." was dealt with 

 by Major David Davies, M.P., who stated that higher wages, 

 and even a direct interest in the produce of the soil, might not 

 be sufficient to attract and keep permanently on the land a 

 strong and virile population. He added that the need for 

 recreation had novr been recognised by the Farmers' Union 

 and kindred organisations. 



" The Organisation of the Village Community," was the sub- 

 ject of a paper read by Mr. J. Nugent Harris (Chief Organiser 

 of the Village Clubs Association). Mr. Harris remarked that if 

 it was desired to keep an honest, enterprising, educated and 

 industrious class of people on the land, those who lived on it 

 must be contented with their community life. The Village 

 Club movement would help materially in this respect by 

 bringing the people together and helping them to realise that 

 their interests are identical. Examples of the good results 

 following the formation of a club on Y.C.A. lines in various 

 villages in different counties were given. 



A discussion followed each paper. Mr. E. W. Langford, 

 President of the National Farmers' Union, warmly supported 

 the movement, and said it was doing work of national 

 importance. The N.F.U. would do everything in its power 

 to further the objects the Association had in view. Mr. Walter 

 Smith, M.P.. and Mr. George Dallas, of the National Union of 

 Agricultural Workers, also gave unstinted praise to the work 

 the V.C.A. was accomplishing, and claimed that it was meeting 

 an urgent need in our village life. Further testimony as to 

 the value and need of the work was borne by Lady Denman, 

 President of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, 

 Lord Bledisloe, Mr. J. M. Eamsay, Scottish Board of Agiicul- 

 ture, Mrs. Sanderson Furniss (Euskin College), Mr. F. D. 

 Acland. M.P.. Sir John Green. Miss Lena Ashwell, Sir Douglas 

 Newton and others. 



Lord Lee of Fareham, Minister of Agriculture, expressed 

 the deepest interest in and sympathy with this movement. 



