Agricultural Wages in 1897. 



203 



In addition to this number of labourers living in districts 

 in which there was a change in the predominant rates of 

 wages, there are those living in districts in which there was 

 a change in either the maximum or minimum rate of the 

 range of wages prevalent therein. It has not been found 

 possible to treat these cases in a statistical form, but the 

 number of labourers in districts in which the wages showed 

 a tendency to increase in 1897 compared with 1896 was 

 55,850, and the number in districts in which the wages 

 showed a tendency to decrease was 16,586. 



It will be seen that in England and Wales there was an 

 upward movement in wages in 1897 compared with 1896. 

 The number of labourers in districts in which changes in the 

 current rates of wages took place in 1897 was 87,385 com- 

 pared with 99,329 in 1896; of this number 4,932 were in 

 districts in which wages fell (compared with 40,751 in 1896) ; 

 and 82,453 were in districts in which wages rose (compared 

 with 58,578 in 1896). 



The total net effect of the changes in 1897 was an increase 

 of £2,4.11 per week, or 6Jd. per head, compared with £z^^ in 

 1896, or a rise of id. per head. Calculated on the total 

 number of agricultural labourers in England and Wales, the 

 rise per head in 1897 amounts to fd. per week compared with 

 a rise of ^d. per week in 1896, and a fall of Jd. per week in 

 1895. (See note below.) 



Note. — In the Labotij- Gazette for June last a statement was furnished of the rates 

 of weekly cash wages, exclusive of piece work earnings, extra payments for hay 

 harvest, and all extra allowances in cash and kind, paid to ordinary agricultural 

 labourers in England, in June, 1898, compared with June, 1897. The general effect 

 of this statement was to show that agricultural wages had risen, especially in the 

 Eastern Counties. The changes which had taken place in the Poor Law Unions 

 reported upon, are indicated in the following table : — 



Districts. 



No. of 



Poor 

 Law 



No. of Agricultural Labourers, in Unions in which there was 

 the undermentioned rise in wages of agricultural labourers, 

 compared with the summer of 1897. 





Unions 

 reported 

 on 



No rise 



IS. per 



week 



IS. 6d. per 



week 



2S. per 



week 



2S. 6d. per 



week 



Total 



Midland Counties 

 Eastern Counties . . 

 Home Counties . . 

 Southern & South- 

 Western. Counties 



54 

 54 

 17 



54 



52,489 

 16,012 

 8,914 



46,829 



14,660 

 72,332 

 8,333 



10,003 



16,602 

 295 



1,093 



1,396 

 8,831 



132 



3,400 



68,545 

 117,177 

 17,542 



58,057 



Total . . 



179 



124,244 



105,328 



17,990 



10,359 



3,400 



261,321 



It will be seen from this table that there was an upward movement in the races of 

 wages in the period referred to, and that out of a total of 261,321 agricultural 

 labourers in the districts named, 137,077 (or 52 per cent.) had increases in their wages 

 varying from is. to 2s. 6d. a week. Of these, 105,328 received a rise of is. a week 

 17,990, IS. 6d. a week, 10,359, 2s. a week, and 3,400, 2s. 6d. a week. 



