658 
The Farm, Labourers of England and Wales. 
unions, and the general relations of employer and employed, 
especially as the last three subjects can be summarised without 
disadvantage. 
To avoid repeating the names of the Assistant Commis- 
sioners when referring to their conclusions, it is desirable to 
give the name of each, with his districts, as follows : — 
Mr. Arthur Wilson Fox — Districts in Northumberland, Cumberland, 
Lancashire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. 
Mr. Roger C. Richards — Districts in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Glouces- 
tershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Northamptonshire, and 
Warwickshire. 
Mr. Edward Wilkinson — Districts in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, 
Staffordshire, and Yorkshire. 
Mr. William E. Bear — Districts in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, 
Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and Sussex. 
Mr. Cecil M. Chapman — Districts in Buckinghamshire, Cambridge- 
shire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Devonshire, 
Cornwall, Brecon, and Radnor. 
Mr. Aubrey J. Spencer — Districts in Essex, Kent, Surrey, Dor- 
setshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Somersetshire. 
Mr. D. Lleufer Thomas — Districts in Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, 
Carnarvonshire, Derbyshire, Glamorganshire, Merioneth, Mont- 
gomery, and Pembrokeshire. 
SuprLY of Labour. 
In nearly all the districts, in spite of an almost universal 
decrease of population, the supply of labour is described as suf- 
ficient for the diminished demand in ordinary seasons ; but in 
a great many shortness at busy times is complained of by the 
farmers, and in nearly all it is said that skilled labourers are 
inconveniently scarce, and much scarcer than they used to be. 
In most of the districts, too, there is a difficulty in obtaining a 
sufficient number of boys for work which they used to perform ; 
and in all the number of women working on the land has 
greatly diminished, while in some their services can hardly be 
obtained at all, even in haytime and harvest. Indeed, so strong 
has the disinclination of women to farm work become that in 
some counties it is very uncommon to see one of them at work 
even in an allotment or a cottage garden. It must be borne 
in mind, however, that the conclusions stated in the reports in 
nearly all instances refer to whole districts ; and in some of 
them there are certain parishes in which labour is short, while 
it may be superabundant in others. Again, very generally it 
was complained that the majority of the best young men had 
migrated, leaving few besides old and inferior men behind. A 
deficiency of men skilled in thatching, fencing, and hay and straw 
binding was particularly mentioned in a number of counties, 
