592 



Agricultural Labour Early Last Century. [Oct.^ 



Magistrates very earnestly recommend to the Farmers and others through^ 

 out the county to increase the Pay of their Labourers in proportion to the 

 present Price of Provisions : and agreeably thereto the Magistrates now 

 present have unanimously Eesolved, that they will in their several 

 Divisions, make the following calculations and allowances for the relief of 

 all poor and industrious men and their families, who, to the satisfaction of 

 the Justices of their parish, shall endeavour (as far as they can) for their 

 own support and maintenance, that is to say, when the gallon loaf of 

 second flour, weighing 8 lbs. lloz. shall cost one shilling, then every poor 

 and industrious man shall have for his own support 3/- weekly either 

 produced by his own or his family's labour or an allowance from the poor 

 rates, and for the support of his wife and every other of his family 1 /6. 

 When the gallon loaf shall cost 1/4 then every poor and industrious man 

 shall have 4/- weekly for his own and 1/10 for the support of every other 

 of his family. And so in proportion as the price of bread rises or falls 

 (that is to say) 3d. to the man and Id. to every other of the family on 

 every penny which the loaf rises above a shilling." 



On the same day the Mayor of Basingstoke presided over a 

 meeting in that town at which a resolution was adopted in favour 

 of fixing wages rather than making doles on this principle from 

 the rates, but it was the dole system that won in the country 

 and by 18B4 it was in force everywhere in England except in the 

 two counties of Durham and Northumberland. 



The Poor Law of 1834.— The dole system lasted till 1834 

 when it was abolished by the new Poor Law. By that time it 

 vras generally condemned on the sufficient grounds that it was 

 bringing the parishes to bankruptcy and the labourers to hope- 

 less improvidence. The Report of the Commissioners on the 

 Poor Laws gave several examples of the first of these results. 

 The expenditure in Slaugham with a population of 740 was 

 ^1,706. " This large sum was spent principally in orders on 

 the village shop for flour, clothes, butter, &c. The tradesmen 

 serve the office of overseer by turns : the two last could neither 

 read nor mite." The effect of the system in destroying all 

 motives for thrift in the labourer was obvious, for it meant in 

 practice that only men who were qualified to receive relief as 

 paupers were eligible for employment. A v^itness before the 

 Poor Law Commission of 1834 told the following story: — 



" The case of a man who has worked for me will show the effect of 

 the parish system in preventing frugal habits. This is a hard working 

 industrious man named William Williams. He is married and had saved 

 some money to the amount of about £70, and had two cows: he had also 

 a sow and ten pigs. He had got a cottage well furnished : he was a 

 member of a benefit club at Meopham, from which he received 8s. a week 

 when he was ill. He was beginning to learn to read and write and sent 

 his children to the Sunday school. He had a legacy of about £46 but he 



