The Labour Bill in Fannin f/. 
71 
As few farmers, therefore, till the land for the purpose of pleasure 
or experiment, can they, with the existing narrow margin of 
profit, get a living if the cost of labour materially increases ? 
Clearly thev cannot do so, unless by compensation derived 
from one or more of the following sources : — (1) by lower rents, 
I a result which cannot be reasonably looked for ; (2) by higher 
prices for farm produce ; (3) by increased production ; (4) by 
greater economy in production, such as through the cheapening 
of manure, the reduction of local rates, the increased use of 
machinery, and resort to a course of husbandry requiring less 
labour ; or (5) by a system of paying for labour by results, — 
a system which recognizes the necessity of higher wages, but 
I requires in return labour, if possible, higher in quality and cer- 
! tainly greater in quantity than that now given. 
i I have said that lower rents cannot in reason be expected. 
j Whatever may be the case in Scotland, one cannot have gone 
far, or made much enquiry as to rents on this side of the 
I Tweed, without feeling that land is on the whole very fairly, 
and even moderately let. Some time ago an Eastern Counties 
farmer had an interview with a landlord, who was talking of 
proposed changes upon a large estate where the tenantry were 
not very contented and not very prosperous. The farmer, as 
he told me, contributed his suggestion, though it was a negative 
one : — " For goodness sake, sir," he said, " whatever you do, 
I don't lower the rents I " He meant, no doubt, that rent acts as 
: a healthy stimulus to exertion, and that rentals below the fair 
I value ol the land let are sometimes no real advantage to in- 
different farmers. I daresay the landlord took kindly to the 
advice thus tendered. However this may be, English tenants 
I must look first to help from one of the other sources just indi- 
I cated. Farming must be proved to be unprofitable, after other 
shifts have been tried, before rents will come down ; and they 
are more likely to go up than to come down. 
Higher prices for farm-produce are more within the range of 
probability. W heat is now very low, and men of experience 
look for a continuance of low prices for bread-stuffs. Barley is 
taking the place of wheat as a remunerative crop upon suitable 
soils. The average price of farm-produce may now be said to 
be a fairly good one, and in time other crops will be substituted 
for wheat. This is a topic, however, with which I shall not 
presume to deal. The possibility of increasing production, and 
reducing absolutely or relatively the cost of production, also 
raises questions beyond the scope of this Article. We come, 
then, to the last of the five heads iust specified — the Labour 
Bill. ^ 
At starting it will be well to try to define as nearly as possible 
