Sept. 1894.] 



PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS. 



95 



remarked as a noticeable fact that in each, of the three countries 

 the decline in the number of female wage earners has been 

 greater than in the case of the males. 



Mr. Little then proceeds to summarise the results of the 

 investigations made by the Assistant Commissioners deahng with 

 England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in separate sections. 



In England it has been found that very generally throughout 

 the 88 districts inquired into, the supply of agricultural labour 

 is fully equal to the demand at any but the busiest times of the 

 year ; but the demand is said to have been considerably reduced 

 and economised by changes in the system of farming, by the use 

 of machinery, by the conversion of arable land to grass, and by 

 a lessened expenditure upon neat and trim farming. Farmers, 

 it appears, rely more upon casual labourers for help in the busy 

 seasons, and thus keep their regular staff at the minimum 

 strength required to keep the farms going. The withdrawal of 

 women from agricultural work is stated to be general almost 

 everywhere ; but in Northumberland the regular employment of 

 female labour is still usual, nearly one-fourth of the number of 

 wage earners in agriculture in that county being women. There 

 is said to be a decline in the efficiency of the English labourers 

 owing to the migration of the more active and intelligent 

 members of that class. 



In none of the eight districts visited in Wales did the 

 Assistant Commissioner find a superabundance of labour ; in some 

 localities a decided scarcity is reported. There is also said to be 

 a difficulty in obtaining female labour for dairy and domestic 

 work on farms. 



Complaints of an insufficient supply of labour are, it seems, 

 very general in the 14 districts reported upon in Scotland, but 

 the decreased supply has been met by a change in the system of 

 farming and by economy in other directions. The labourers 

 are said to be less willing and less industrious than formerly, 

 but there was no general complaint of their want of skill or 

 capacity. 



In Ireland it would appear that concurrently with the general 

 decrease of population there has been a decreased demand for 

 labourers. In 15 out of the 30 districts of inquiry there is 

 stated to be at some period of the year an insufficient supply of 

 agricultural labourers, but in most of these districts there are at 

 times too many labourers for the work to be done. The 

 labourers in Ireland are said to be inferior as compared with 

 those of past days, and this alleged inferiority is attributed to 

 the emigration of the more able and intelligent members of the 

 class. The deterioration in the physique of Irish labourers is by 

 some persons ascribed to modern diet — white bread and tea 

 having very generally replaced oatmeal stirabout and milk. 



In respect of wages and earnings, Mr. Little, after a careful 

 investigation of all the evidence on the subject, estimates the 

 average earnings of the ordinary labourer in England at 15s. lid. 



