1908.] Wages of Agricultural Labourers. 527 



£5 ,000,000 value insured. More than five-sixths of the 1,442 

 societies for insurance against fire are federated in fourteen 

 unions, and there are also two societies situated in Paris for the 

 re-insurance of these federations. . :> - 



The rates of wages of farm labourers in England and Wales 

 showed a very slight rise in 1907, but in the great majority 

 of rural districts there was no change. 

 Changes in ^he i ncreases wer e almost all in a mid- 

 Wages of Agricultural l and belt from Wales across to East 

 Labourers in Anglia. 



1907. In the following table the changes in 



wages shown by the returns in 1907 are 

 given in combination with the estimated number of agricultural 

 labourers in the rural districts affected, together with the similar 

 figures for the nine preceding years : — 



Year. 



Estimated 

 Total Number of 

 Labourers in Districts 



in which the 

 predominant rates of 

 wages — 



Computed Amount of Change 

 compared with each 

 Preceding Year in Weekly Cash 

 Wages of the Labourers in 

 Districts affected. 



Increased. 



Decreased. 



Increase. 



Decrease. 



Net 

 Increase 

 ( + )or 

 Decrease 

 (-)• 





Number. 



Number. 



£ 



£ 



£ 



1898" 



183,987 



2,356 



6,227 



47 



+ 6,180 



i899 



163,960 



208 



5.438 



4 



+ 5.434 



1900 



230,635 





8,150 





+ 8,150 



1901 ... ... 



127,565 



10,469 



3.559 



39S 



+ 3,161 



1902 



5 I »949 



41,705 



1,609 



1,297 



+ 312 



1903 



51.095 



24,953 



1,449 



893 



+ 556 



1904 



23,779 



9,569 



1,032 



451 



+ 581 



1905 



6,659 



12,438 



252 



442 



190 



1906 



14,758 " 



8,744 



704 



322 



+ 382 



1907 ... ... 



i4,97i 



■ 



3,439 



479 



103 



+ 376 



The figures show that in the period 1 898-1901 there was a 

 decided upward movement in agricultural wages. In the 

 following years (1902-4), and in 1906-7, the upward move- 

 ment was much less marked, while in 1905 there was a slight 

 fall. 



