2i6 



Agricultural Hirings. 



Agricultural Hirings. 



In a report to the Board of Trade, the agricultural corre- 

 spondent to the Labour Department states that the rates of 

 wages obtained at the Whitsuntide half-yearly hirings 

 in Cumberland, Lancashire, and Westmorland, were on 

 the whole in an upward direction. Generally speaking, 

 rates of wages for the half-year for the best men, for big 

 youths, and for all female labour increased by 15s. to 20s. 

 per head compared with the corresponding period in 1896, 

 while the wages of second-class men and boys were quite as 

 high as these obtained last year, notwithstanding that the 

 present summer term is fourteen days shorter than the corre- 

 sponding one in 1896. Ulverston is now the principal 

 market, and the wages obtained there rule the rates for a 

 considerable portion of North Lancashire, West Cumberland, 

 and South Westmorland. 



The rates of wages obtained at Ulverston for the half-year 

 (board and lodging in addition) were for best men £1$ to 

 £17. A few got £ 18, and a few farm- managing men qualified 

 to take charge in absence of the master got £20. The rates 

 for second-class men were for the half-year £12 to £14. ; for 

 youths, £8 to £10 1 os.; for boys, £4 10s. to £y 10s. ; for best 

 women, £11 to £12 ; for second-class women, £8 to £10 ; for 

 girls, £4 to £-]. Taking the hiring fairs of Carlisle, Penrith, 

 Kendal, and Lancaster, the rates of wages generally obtained 

 for the half-year (board and lodging in addition) were as 

 follows: — Best men, ^13 to £16, and £17 in some cases; 

 second-class men and youths, £8 to £13 ; boys, £4 10s. or 

 ;£5 to £y or £8. Best women, £ 10 to £12 10s. ; second-class 

 women, £8 to £10 ; girls, £4 to £j. 



Reports had also been received of the rates of wages 

 obtained by farm servants at the principal hiring fairs which 

 took place between the months of February and June in the 

 counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Berwick, Dumfries, Edinburgh, 

 Forfar, Haddington, Inverness, Kirkcudbright, Lanark, Lin- 

 lithgow, Nairn, Moray, Perth, Peebles, Roxburgh, Stirling, 

 Selkirk, and Wigtown. Speaking generally, the information 

 from all these counties was to the effect that wages in 1897 

 were the same as in 1896. Occasionally, when servants 



