204 



Agricultural Wages in 1897. 



By far the greater number of changes took place in the 

 principal corn-growing counties, namely, in the Eastern and 

 Midland Counties. Out of the 87,385 labourers in districts in 

 England and Wales affected by changes, 58,078, or 66*5 per 

 cent., lived in the Eastern and Midland Counties. Calculated 

 on this number the aggregate rise amounted to 1,728 a 

 week, equal to 7 jd. a head, compared with a rise in these 

 counties amounting to £666 per week, or 2jd. per head, 

 calculated upon the 69,869 labourers in such districts as were 

 affected by changes in 1896. The next group of counties in 

 point of number of changes of wages was the Southern and 

 Western group. In these counties 17,988 labourers were 

 living in districts in which an increase of wages took place^ 

 the aggregate rise calculated upon this number amounting 

 to ;£478 per week, equal to 6M. per head, compared with a 

 fall amounting to ;£340 per week, or 4d. per head, calculated 

 upon the 20,901 la^bourers in such districts in these counties 

 as were affected by changes in 1896. 



In the Northern Counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, 

 Durham, and Westmorland, 6,156 labourers were living in 

 districts in which there was a rise, the increase calculated 

 upon this number amounting to 5|d. per head per week. In 

 the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, the rise 

 was 8fd. per head per week if calculated upon the 2,254 

 labourers living in the districts in which a change took place. 



In Wales the wages were ascertained of the hired 

 labourers (yearly or half-yearly) who are mostly single men, 

 and who live and board in the farm-houses, and also of the 

 married labourers who live in cottages, and whose wages are 

 paid weekly, either entirely in cash, or partly in food. 

 As it was found impossible to compute the number of 

 hired men in the different classes who had been affected 

 by changes, the changes of the married men were, as in 

 former reports, assumed to apply to the hired labourers. 

 In 1897, compared with 1 896, the wages of labourers in Wales 

 showed a very slight downward tendency, only 2,909 labourers 

 living in districts in which there was a change, the decrease 

 calculated upon this number amounting to £2^ per week, or 

 2d. per head. In 1896, compared with 1895, changes took 



