"BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE ANI) FISHERIES. 1 REPORT ON MIGRATION FROM RURAL DISTRICTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES. liONDON : PBTNTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OF! ICE Bv DARLING and SON, Ltd., Bacon Street, E. To be pi;rchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from WYMAN AND SONS, Limited, 29, Breams Buildings, Fetter Lane, E.G., and 54, St. Mary Street, Cardiff; or H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE (Scottish Branch), 23, Forth Street, Edinburgh; or E. PONSONBY, Limited, 116, Grafton Street, Dublin; or from the Agencies in the British Colonies and Dependencies, the United States of America, the Continent of Europe and Abroad of T. FISHER UNWIN, London, W.C. 1913. Price Threepence. 3: l^/6X^b< }<^n ■ • • « MIGRATION FROM RURAL DISTRICTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES. At the request of the Dominions Eoyal Commission the Board have made enquiries with a view to ascertain to what extent migration is now, and has recently been, taking- place from rural districts, more particularly by that part of the population which is engag-ed in agriculture. The questions on which the Commission especially requested information were the following- : — 1. Whether there is actually any deficiency in the supply of rural labour in different districts ; and, if so, 2. the extent of such deficiency; 3. whether it is more marked in the case of skilled and trained labour or of young and untrained hands; and 4. whether it is attributable to recent emigration abroad or whether it arises mainly from the transfer of popula- tion to towns in this country. A schedule of enquiry (see Appendix) was sent in May last by the Board to — (a) the Board's Agricultural Correspondents ; (b) the Board's Crop Reporters; (c) the Board's Market Reporters ; (d) Secretaries of Chambers of Agriculture and other bodies in association with the Central Chamber of Agri- culture ; (e) Secretaries of a large number of co-operative and other bodies afiiliated to the Agricultural Organisation Society. ies were received as follows : — From (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) ... 117 ... 161 ... 18 ... 32 ... 157 Total ... 485 Four of the Small Holdings Commissioners also furnished information. The replies fall under three main headings : — 1. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. 2. The extent, cause, and direction of migration. 3. Special instances of migration and general observations. It may be well to recall the general facts as to the movement of the rural population during the decade 1901-11, as shown by the recently published Census Report [Cd. 6258]. The decennial increase per cent, of the whole population was 1089, being the lowest recorded in any decennium since the first Census in 1801. The rate of increase in 21 counties classed as " commercial and industrial " was 118 per cent., as compared with 134 per cent. (33250r— 6.) Wt. 35760— 396. 1000. 2/] 4. D & 8. 447780 in .1893/1901; "'Qn the; other hand, in the 23 counties classed as '•'agricultural," the rate of increase was 62 per cent., as compared with 1-9 per cent, in the previous decennium. This roug-h generalisation would appear to show an improvement in 1901-11 over 1891-1901 as regards the rural population, but a full examination of the Census returns can he better undertaken when the " Occupation " tables are published. The figures given suffice to recall the fact that the normal increase of population by excess of births over deaths must always be remembered. Agriculture in this country is not an expanding industry capable of absorbing the natural increase of population. On the contrary, the area of farmed land steadily declines. Since 1901, about 388,000 acres have been Avithdrawn from agriculture altogether, and about 1,060,000 acres have been withdrawn from arable cultivation. The levelling up of the general intelligence and education of farmers has led them to greater resourcefulness in the economy of labour and greater willingness to use labour-saving machinery and appliances. It might also be expected that the better education of the farm labourer would have made him individually more com- petent, but it may be doubted whether this factor counts for much in reducing the number of labourers employed. In fact, complaints are general that labourers skilled in their craft are less numerous than formerly. From the employers' point of view any sharpen- ing of intelligence due to " literary " education does not compensate for lack of " technical " training. As against the economic conditions which make for decreased employment on the land, the only contrary influence at present is the increase of intensive cultivation — fruit-growing, vegetable- growing, flower-growing, and the like. Since 1901 the area returned as under small fruit has increased by about 9,000 acres. The area under vegetables and orchards has also extended considerably, and glass-cultivation has been developed on a large scale. Unfortunately, we have no precise measure over a series of years of the increase of crops which involve the intensive employ- ment on a large scale of manual labour, but it is clear that in this direction — apart fron^fihe multiplication of holdings cultivated by the occupier and his family — possibilities of employing more labour on the land at present mainly lie. The concurrence of the natural increase of population with a reduced demand (except in a few limited districts) for labour on the land obviously implies chronic migration from the rural districts. It is difficult, under existing conditions, to regard as probable the employment in agriculture of a normal increase of, say, 10 per cent, each decennium, and the question is rather whether sufficient employment can be found to i)revent in all districts an actual reduction of the agricultural population. There is a general consensus of opinion in these reports, Avith very few exceptions, that the supply of labour is deficient. Some of the statem.ents estimate the " deficiency " at very high percentages. It is clear that a definition of the term " deficiency " is Avanted AA'hen statements of this kind are made. In many cases it may be surmised that reference is made to the number who might be employed if old conditions still existed, and not to the 3 actual number Avho could now find regular employment on the farms as at present cultivated. But wlien all deductions are made, it is evident that at the present time considerably more men could find employment on the land than are now available. There certainly appears to be a fairly general deficiency of skilled farm hands. The manual arts of agriculture are being neglected even by those who still seek employment on the land. That there is a general movement of population from the rural districts these reports testify, but, as already pointed out, this is in some degree inevitable. It is not easy to estimate how far the movement is in excess of, or less than, the normal increase of population. The impression given is that it has been much accelerated in the last year or two, but there is reason to doubt this. In some reports, indeed, it is stated that from various causes — the provision of small holdings being several times men- tioned — there is, on the whole, less depletion of the rural districts in recent years than formerly. When the complete Census figures for 1911 come to be analysed, they may be expected to show that the reduction of the number of persons engaged in agriculture which was so prominent a feature of previous Censuses has been to some extent checked. The special peculiarity of the present " rural exodus " is that the normal movement to the towns and to industrial life — which has perhaps rather diminished than increased — is supplemented to so large an extent by a movement to the oversea Dominions. This accelerated emigration is attributed to several causes, the most generally mentioned being the activity of emigration agents in advertising the allurements of colonial life. They appeal to a generation which has become accustomed to the modern disregard of distance. Canada to-day seems as near to the young countryman as London did to his father. The freer life, the easy facilities for becoming a landowner, the wider scope for energy and enterprise, and the higher wages for manual labour are the prospects which appear to be the chief induce- ments to our rural population to emigrate. These prospects appeal especially to those who do not wish to leave the laud but do not see in this country a reasonable chance of living by it. The low wages in the rural districts are mentioned as a cause of discontent, but it may be doubted whether this in itself is so powerful a factor as the lack of opportunity, and, in fact, there appears no evidence that emigration is greatest in districts where wages are lowest. More than»once in these reports it is observed that many who emigrate would prefer to stay at home if they could see a reasonable prospect of advancement in life. Better education, and, as is remarked by some, a kind of educa- tion which gives a distaste for country life, is referred to : while the desire for shorter hours of work, for free Sundays and for more holidays is also mentioned; but these are causes for leaving the country which are more likely to lead to migration to the towns than emigration to the colonies. The lack of housing accommodation is frequently mentioned as influencing men to leave the villages. It appears paradoxical that complaint should be made at the same time of dwindling population and insuffi- -cient cottages, but there can be no doubt that the question of 32189 ^ J rural hoiismg- is acute. In this connection, the competition of the townsmen has aggravated the situation and allusion is made to the turning of cottages into " villas " and to the increasing tendency, fostered by bicycles, of urban workers to live in the rural districts. The replies received have been summarised under groups of counties as follows, the acreage (in 1912) devoted to agriculture and stock-grazing being given for each group : — Mountain Group, Counties. No. of replies received. Arable Land. Permanent Grass. and Heath Land used for grazing- Acres. Acres. Acres. 1 Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland and West- morland. 27 577,623 1,353,092 1,077,629 2 Lancashire and Cheshire 23 446,278 875,551 116,750 3 Yorkshire 41 1,134,958 1,581,904 480,165 4 Salop and Stafford 17 383,921 925,006 48,203 6 Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland. 17 444,279 1,044,623 38,267 6 Lincoln and Norfolk 27 1,787,588 801,868 44,820- 7 Suffolk, Cambs, Hunts ... 34 1,063,590 393,848 35,461 8 Bedford, Northants and Warwick. 31 482,692 840,266 4,782- 9 Bucks, Oxon, Berks 24 513,952 641,320 16,863 10 Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester. 26 486,423 999,628 23,303 11 Cornwall, Devon, Somerset 34 1,036,828 1,627,601 301,146 12 Dorset, Wilts, Hants 41 830,259 1,049,426 160,387 13 Surrey, Kent, Sussex ... 45 635,822 1,004,420 42,371 14 Essex, Herts, Middlesex, Loudon. 26 737,203 477,103 8,788- 15 Anglesey, Carnarvon, Flint, Denbigh and Merioneth. 27 270,581 586,570 437,478 16 Montgomery, Radnor, Brecon, Cardigan. 20 245,518 649,862 657,653- . 17 Monmouth, Glamorgan, Carmarthen and Pem- broke. 25 257,761 987,326 280,589- I. — Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. Nearly all of the replies from this group of counties state that there has been no reduction in the number of farmers during the last ten years ; exceptionally in south-west Northumberland a few farmers have migrated owing to difficulty in securing farms ; in the North Seaton district of the same county the use of land for building has reduced the number of farmers, and a reduction has also occurred in the Leath ward of Citmberland and west ward of Westmorland. On the other hand, their numbers have in- creased in the Stockton rural district owing to the creation of small holdings. In the Whittingham, Belford, Gleiidale and North Seaton districts of Northumberland and in the Barnard Castle and Heighington districts of Durham the number of permanent labourers required has been reduced, and in the same and some •other localities less temporary labour is employed than was the •case ten years ago. In Cumberland and Westmorland the numbers of both permanent and temporary labourers required have declined in practically all districts. The supply of farm labourers is about sufficient or barely sufficient for present requirements in most parts of Northumber- land and Durham, but there is no surplus, and in some localities ihere is considerable scarcity. At Whittingham extra hands and women are very difficult to obtain; in the Gleudale and Berwick unions a shortage of women and casual labourers is also referred io, though Irish labourers help to supply the deficiency ; around Barnard Castle men and youths are lacking ; around Durham experienced horsemen and strong lads, and around Bishop Auckland casual men, are difficult to get. Throughout the two western counties of this division the supply •of labourers is inadequate, and the causes are considered to be of a permanent character, except in south Westmorland, where the present industrial activity is held to account for the scarcity, which is expected to cease when industry slackens. The ■deficiency is very considerable, some correspondents estimating it as from one-fifth to one-third of the necessary number, and it ■occurs chiefly among single men of the best class, though in .«ome parts of AVestmorland all classes of farm labour are scarce. Extent, cause and direction of migration. In all parts of these counties migration has been and is taking place among the young men, though it is much more considerable in some localities than in others. In most places adults and their families have been leaving the countryside, though, as a rule, not to the same extent as the young men. In the Berwick ^nd Glendale Unions and in south-east Northumberland, how- ever, many families are said to have left. Generally the reason for the movement is stated to be the prospect of higher wages, greater freedom and better conditions of life. In some instances scarcity of cottages, the demand for labour in other industries, the decrease of the farmed area and the displacement of labour by agricultural machinery are said to be active factors. " The main stream of migration has been to the British Dominions, and chiefly to Canada. Australia and New Zealand rank next, but ■considerably behind Canada. Occasionally South Africa or the United States attract the emigrant. Other rural districts, the towns and foreign countries exercise only a small attractive influence, though in some instances the collieries and railways have •drawn men away. The movement to the colonies is largely due to the alluring prospect depicted by the emigration agents of the Governments of the Dominions, in the shape of high wages and free grants of land. Steamship rates are low and are combined in the case of Australia with assisted passages. The nearness of Canada is 6 a factor in favour of that country. In addition, the letters received at home from relations and friends who had emigrated previously and have been successful, and occasional holiday visits from prosperous emigrants, have been a means of attracting- others. Some correspondents refer to the movement as an " emigration mania." Special instances of migration and general observations. Many correspondents quote instances of emigration with which they are personally acquainted. A few may be mentioned. Thus in the Glendale Union reference is made to six families who had emigrated thence to New Zealand 15 to 18 months previously, to several families who went to Australia last year, while large numbers of young men had gone to Canada in the previous six months. One correspondent in Durham had himself lost three of his best labourers in three years, two going to Canada and one to Western Australia. A correspondent in the Bishop Auckland district quotes instances of 12 or more men who had gone to Canada from around Hamsterly, eight or nine men from Witton-le-Wear, 12 or more from West Auckland, and another dozen from the last-mentioned locality to Western Australia. A correspondent at Penrith was personally acquainted with 10 young men within seven miles of the town who had emigrated, and adds that there were many others. Another correspondent in South Westmorland states that his own son and a neighbour went 11 years ago to Canada, and he knew of 20 more who had followed since. They were doing fairly well, " but would have done well anywhere, being the pick of the district." Several correspondents state that the outlook in their districts is serious. If the existing shortage of labour should continue it will be necessary to put more arable land down to grass. In South-East Northumberland there are instances of farms where upwards of 30 men were formerly employed, but now only two shepherds and another man are needed. In the Glendale IJnion it is said to be increasingly diificult to get work done efficiently owing to the enforced employment of old men and second-class workmen. In the same locality the tendency to migrate to towns and collieries has diminished during the past five or six years, migration being now almost entirelv to the Dominions. II. — Lancashire and Cheshire. Employment in agriculture and sujjply of agricultural labour. Only in the North Lonsdale district of Lancashire and in the Wirral district of Cheshire has any reduction in the number of farmers during the last ten years been noted, and in the latter district correspondents differ. A decrease in permanent labourers employed is recorded by one-half of the correspondents. There has been a general reduction in North Lancashire, while in South Lancashire also the reduction appears to have been general, but is more notice- able in some districts than in others. For instance, reductions are recorded iu the Bury aud Preston districts, but no decrease has occurred iu the Bolton district. Iu South- West Lan- cashire reports of correspondents differ. In Cheshire re- duction has occurred round Stockport and Macclesfield, but not in the Runcorn and Tarvin districts, the neiohbourhood of Warrington, and the Tarporley district. Correspondents dift'er with regard to the Wirral and Nantwich districts. In the Knutsford district the reduction of both permanent and casual labour is ascribed to the use of machinery. In the district surrounding Macclesfield it is characterised as gradual. The reduction of temporary labour is still more widespread, a decrease having been reported by most of the correspondents. Only in the Eastern and Garstang districts of Lancashire and in the Wirral, Tarporley, Runcorn and Macclesfield districts of Cheshire, no reduction is noted, and correspondents differ as to Wirral. The supply of farm labourers is generally insufiicient through- out these counties. Oiih' one correspondent (for East Lancashire) gives an unqualified " Yes" to the question whether the supply was sufficient, and about half give direct negatives. Near Lan- caster labour is stated to be " scarce." In South-West Lancashire there is " Xo surplus." In the Fylde district it is "becoming insufficient."" In East Cheshire there is not enough efficit ut labour, although plenty of inferior. In the Knutsford district it is " short at times." At Tarporlej^ and near Birken- head it is ''barely sufficient." In the Runcorn and Tarvin district tliere is sufficient but only on account of the supply of Irish temporary labour, and this is diminishing. The deficiency applies generally to all classes of agricultural labour, and is ascribed to both permanent and temporary causes. The causes are said to be temporary around Warrington, Knuts- ford, Tarporley and in the Nantwich rural area. In North and South-West Lancashire, around Bury and Macclesfield they are described as permanent. In South-West Lancashire and around Stockport teamsmen are scarce. Female labour is said to be gene- rally deficient. In North Lancashire the deficiency is mainly among men who are hired by the half-year and who live in the farm- house. Ordinary labourers are everywhere scarce, and in the Nantwich Fnion there is much less Irish temporary labour avail- able than formerly. The total deficiency is estimated a I- 5 per cent, in the Nantwich rural area. In the Bolton, Wirral, North Lons- dale and Warrington districts and in North and Mid-Cheshire it is put at between 20 and 30 per cent. ; in the neighbourhood of Stockport and Poulton-le-Fylde at 10 per cent. Extent, cause and direction of migration. Throughout these counties there has been migration of adults and their families, and more especially of youths. In South- West Lancashire, however, it is stated by one correspondent to be not yet serious, and in the neighbourhood of Warrington it is reported as " infinitesimal." In the Tarporley district of Cheshire 8 it is stated that no migration has taken place. The movement is generally ascribed to better prospects abroad, and to the shorter hours, better wages, week-end holiday and amusements of the towns. In North Lancashire prosperity in the cotton trade is given as a reason. In the North Lonsdale district it is stated that the iron- ore mines and collieries now take the lads that would formerly have worked at agriculture until 20 or 25, and that the shipbuild- ing yards take all the old temporary hay and harvest labour. The present system of education and the lengthened period of schooling is stated to render cotmtry life unattractive to children. A scarcity of cottages is mentioned by several correspondents. Migration has been mainly to the Dominions, especially Canada, on account of its nearness and the facilities for obtaining land there. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States have also attracted emigrants. In the North Lonsdale district emigration is stated to have been mainly to the United States. The success of friends abroad and the advertise- ments of emigration agents are always important factors. In some cases farmers are said to anticipate greater profits abroad under protective tariffs. Special instances of migration and general observations. Among the special cases of migration quoted there are many instances of farmers and labourers and some of other workers, such as village tradesmen, a schoolmaster, and young women. Trom near Lancaster, two farm pupils of one correspondent went to Queensland and another to Manitoba. Another correspondent quotes the success of his nephew, an ex-policeman, as a farmer in Canada. Three farmers, with their families, went to irrigation farms in Australia from the neighbourhood of Bur v. From near Birkenhead a labourer accustomed to horses became foreman to a firm of team owners in Canada. !^rom the Stockport district it is stated that many men have become policemen, electric car- drivers, &c., during the last 10 years. Migration is regarded as serious by many correspondents, and by others it is considered to have kept within reasonable limits so far ; but it is everywhere recognised that it is the best class of worker that goes. In North Lancashire wages are rising, and the farm area is being- reduced. In the south-west the increased demand for milk has led lo increase of pasture, for which less labour is required. In this district machinery is said to have counterbalanced to some extent the decline in the agricultural population, but the shortage of labour has led to the neglect of weeding, &c. One correspondent regrets the advertisements of the colonies allowed at agricultural shows, and suggests that harm is done by the advertisements of emigration agents. County Council small holdings are considerrd by another correspondent to be too large, and lie suggests tlie provision of 3 to 5-acre pasture holdings, which would leave the holder time to work for larger farmers when required. Readjustment of rates and revision of the education sys^:em are also suggested. III. YOEKSHIRE. Employment in agriculture and sujjply of agricultural labour. In nearly every part of the county the number of farmers is stated to have remained unchanged during the past ten years, and where changes have occurred they have been but slight. Thus, in the Driffield and Holderness districts of the East Riding the operation of the Small Holdings Act has slightly added to the number of farmers, while in the Craven and Wetherb}' districts of the West Riding some small farms are said to have been absorbed in larger ones. A reduction in the number of farmers has also occurred in the Calder Vale and Brighouse ■districts. Three-fifths of the replies state that there has been no reduction in the number of permanent farm labourers required, but the remaining two-fifths state the contrary. In the East Riding reduction has occurred near Hull and York and around Beverley. In the North Riding the tendency has been at work in the north- western parts of the Riding and in the Cleveland, Malton, Scar- borough, and Pickering localities. In the West Riding there has been reduction in the Craven, Snaith, Wakefield, Barnsley, and Brighouse districts, the Calder Vale, and generally in the south- east of the Riding. Statements as to the sufficiency of the present supply of labour are about evenly divided. In the East Riding the supph' is about sufficient in most places, but near Hull, York, and around Beverley the deficiency appears to be as much as 10 to 15 per cent. The shortage appears to be partly temporary and partly permanent in character, and while confined to young men in some places, is in others evident among all classes of labourers. In the North Riding labourers are scarce in Mashamshire, the North- West, Cleveland, and Pickering districts. As a rule the scarcity, which is evident among young agricultural labourers of all classes, is considered as of a temporary character and due to the special activity of the coal and iron industry. It is in the West Riding that the shortage of farm labourers ia most pronounced, reports referring to an insufiiciency of the supply in the districts around Huddersfield, Doncaster, Wakefield, 8kipton-in-Craven, Ripoii, Wharfedale, Barnsley, Snaith, Brighouse, and the Calder Vale. Practically all •classes of men for farm work are difficult to obtain in these localities, and especially men for casual work. The deficiency is estimated in some cases at as much as 20 per cent, of the requirements, though in some other cases it is not yet •considerable. In some districts the scarcity has been felt only of late and is considered as due to temporary causes — chiefly the demand for men at collieries and other industries — but in other localities the shortage seems more permaneni. Extent, cause, and direction of migration. Most of the correspondents state that adults and their families and also young men have been migrating. In a number 10 of places, more particularly in the East Hiding-, the move- jnent has not been considerable, but in others it been very marked. The reason generally is said to be the desire for, and prospects of obtaining, higher wages than are paid on farms. Correspondents frequently dwell upon the attractiveness of shorter hours, a Saturday half -holiday, and a full Sunday holiday in other than agricultural occupations, with the oppor- tunities for amusement thus afforded. Young farmers are said to leave owing to difficulty of securing farms, the burden of rates, &c., the feeling of insecurity engendered by the breaking up of large estates, and better prospects in the Dominions for men with small capital. Many men obtain employment at the various collieries and iron works in the county, where wages are comparatively high and labour is in brisk demand. Work in the docks at Hull attracts labourers from the vicinity, and work on railways and roads and in the textile towns also attracts a number. In some places, as, for example, the Cleveland district and the villages around Huddersfield, actual migration does not occur to a great extent, but men prefer the work in the iron industry and woollen manufactories to farm work. While here and there the industrial centres appear to be the most attractive to men from the country districts, on the whole the main stream of migration appears to flow to the oversea Dominions. Canada is at present the most favoured, though in some places Australia and New Zealand have been taking a largei: proportion of the emigrants than formerly . The much-advertised prospects of higher wages and facilities for acquiring the owner- ship of land have had a great influence. In many instances the reports received from relations and friends who have already emigrated have induced others to follow their example. Special instances of migration and general observations. Most of the correspondents quote instances from their personal knowledge of emigration from their districts. A correspondent in the south-east of the East Eiding states that he knew twelve young men who left South Ilolderness last year and three from Hessle : another states that out of a troop of 21 in the East Riding Yeomanry, 11 men, aged from 19 to 22 years, were now doing well in Canada ; another speaks of 8 married and 22 single men who had left six East Riding villages in the past two or three years. A correspondent at Skipton mentions two sons in one family wlio became policemen, several men cf ordinary ability who worked for the local authority as roadmen at 2I5. to 245. for 5| days a week, who would have received only I85. as farm labourers, and adds that scores of smart young men have gone to Canada in the last 12 months. Another at Snaith refers to continual losses of young men from a church choir, and states that a cricket club has lost 12 members by migration since 1912. Numerous other instances might be quoted. A view of the position from the labourers' standpoint is sup- plied by a correspondent at Pickering who writes that free educa- tion makes men less Avilling to be contented with the wages their 11 parents received and consequently they seek employment in the- towns and elsewhere ; the young men demand more wages and shorter hours, and the younger farmers are more willing to give these than their fathers were. A correspondent in the East Riding states that the district is certainly losing its best young farmers, who, after emigrating, were sending home from Canada for labourers to work for them. Suggestions are made by some correspondents that an increase in the supply of cottages would keep men on the farms. The agent for a property in the Wetherby district of the West Riding writes that no migration has taken place there, owing, in his opinion, to the great personal interest taken by the owner of the estate in the welfare of all, both farmers and labourers, connected with him. Most of the labourers had small holdings of three or four acres Avhich were gradually being furnished with suitable up-to-date buildings; labourers without such holdings had large gardens and a rood of land attached to their cottage. The interest of all had been increased by means of the instruction given in connection with the Garforth Farm, and the result of tJiese efforts was that men were contented and did not wish to leave the district. IV. — Shropshire axd Siafford. E nvployment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. No correspondent reports any reduction of farmers during the past ten years ; in fact, in the Shrewsbury district they are said to have increased. A reduction of both permanent and tem- porary labourers is noted in the Market Drayton district and in Stafford generally. In the Chirbury district of Shrop- shire there has been a decrease of temporary but not of permanent labourers, while in North Shropshire the decrease is in permanent and not in temporary labourers. In the Newport Rural District it is stated that no great reduction has occurred, but that the number of persons engaged in agriculture is gradually getting less. In Stafford generally the decrease in permanent labourers is stated by one correspondent to be slight, and he notes that there are not so many Irishmen available as formerly. Very few correspondents state that the supply of labour is sufficient in these counties. It is regarded as sufficient by one correspondent in East Shropshire and also in the Croxden district of Staffordshire except for haymaking, and it is about suffi- cient in the Newport Rural District. There is no surplus in the Chirbury district. It is stated to be insufficient in the neighbour- hood of Shrewsbury, Market Drayton, and Oswestry. In Stafford generally, stockmen appear to be scarce. The deficiency in ordi- nary labourers is general, but does not appear to be very serious. In Shropshire the deficiency is ascribed to permanent causes, and near Oswestry the proximity of collieries is alluded to. In Staffordshire it is more generally ascribed to temporary causes, but in the north-east of the county to permanent causes also. Here quarries have been opened and a garden village built. The electric works at Stafford attract bovs from the land. 12 Extent, cause, and direction of migration. All the correspondents report migration of adults and families and more especially of youths, except in the Croxden district, where it is stated to apply only to youths. The general cause is the prospect of higher wages in towns and in some districts the scarcity of cottages is mentioned. In the Market Drayton district the sale of a large estate has induced migration. In the Chirbury district the closing of lead and Isarytes mines has caused the dispersal of part-time miners who were also temporary agricultural labourers. In West StaJBtord the prosperous state of trade has been the chief factor, while the fact that there is much Sunday work in the dairy districts of North-East Stafford has caused migration to the neighbouring potteries and to industrial Lancashire. Migration has been mainly to the colonies and towns. A correspondent in Xorth-East Stafford gives the following .percentages : to other rural districts, 10-15 per cent. ; to towns, 50-60 per cent. ; to colonies, 25-40 per cent. ; to foreign countries, 5 per cent. Canada has been the most popular Dominion, the causes being the cheapness of the passage, ihe high wages prevailing there, and the free grants of land. Migration has occurred also to Australia, where assisted passages have been an inducement, and to New Zealand and the United States of America. Advertisements and the success of friends are mentioned as constant incentives to emigration. Special instances of migration and general observations. Among the special instances of migration, one correspondent mentions 40 men going to Canada, 10 to Australia, 5 to New Zealand, and 5 to the United States of America during the year ending 1st July, 1913, from the Market Drayton district. Another correspondent knows a farmer's son who went to Canada, where, as a tram conductor, he earned £3 a week. The same correspondent mentions a farm bailiff, earning 275. a week with house, going to Canada, and an estate woodman, getting 20.<;. a week and a house, going to New Zealand. From North-East Stafford a man went to Canada two years ago and has been followed by his family. Many instances of two or more brothers emigrating are mentioned. It is stated that 7 out of 84 boys passing through Chirbury school during the last few years have gone to the colonies, and 25 to towns as footmen, &c. Mony youths leave for the railway works at Crewe. V. — Deebv, Nottingham, Leicester and Rutland. Employment in agriculture and supply of labour. Only in the Belper district of Derby and in South Nottingham is any reduction of the number of farmers during the last ten years reported. In the Loughborough district there has been a large increase due to small holdings ; an increase is also recorded in North Derby. A reduction of both permanent and temporary labourers has occurred in Derby generally. In South Nottingham there has been a reduction in permanent labourers but none in 13 temporary labourers, altliougli the reduction is stated to be not great. Slight reduction is also reported in parts of Leicester and Eutland, but here also most of the correspondents state that no- reduction has occurred. In these counties the supply of labour varies considerably. In Derby generally it is insufficient, except in North Derby. In Nottingham one correspondent considers it about sufficient, another insufficient, although, the district being engaged largely in dairying, comparatively little agricultural labour is required. There is sufficient in the neighbourhood of "Waltham on the Wolds, Scalford and Loughborough, but in Leicestershire generally it is scarcely sufficient, skilled men, dairy-farm hands and general labourers being short in some places. In Rutland there are " none too many." The deficiency applies mainly to general labourers, and is estimated in the Cossington district, where it is attributed to temporary causes, at 5 per cent. In Derby the deficiency is said to be large, and due to permanent causes. In South Nottingham improved trade is held to be the cause of a deficiency of youths and general labourers. Ed'terit, cause and direction of migration. Nearly all tlie correspondents report migration from these- counties, and among the causes are the higher wages of industrial occupation, Avhicli a period of good trade has developed. In the Cossington district, where the migration is confined to youths, difficulty in finding employment is mentioned. In the Mount- sorrel and Rothlev district migration of adults and families has taken place in spite of the fact that wages in the district are higher than ever. The main stream of migration has been towards the colonies, especially Canada, where cheap land is stated to be the inducement. Western Australia has also attracted emigrants. From the Mountsorrel and Rothley district of Leicester quarrymen bave been attracted to the United States by the high wages prevailing in that industry there. Reports of friends and the advertisements of emigration agents have much influence. There is considerably less migration to towns than to tlie colonies, but two correspondents, in Derby and Nottingham respectively, report a certain amount of migration to other rural districts. Special instances and general observations. A correspondent in South Notting-ham mentions two farmers'' sons who went to Canada. Subsequently the farmer himself failed and followed with the rest of the family. The same correspondent mentions several sons of a village tailor going to Canada. From the Belper district a plumber went to Western Australia, where his wages were 14^. a day. From South Nottingham men and youths are attracted to local lime and cement works and to railway work. It is considered by one correspondent that the shortage of agricultural labour will be serious in ten years' time, especially^ 14 among cattlemen, ' as cattle require attention on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.' Another correspondent — speaking of parts of Derby and Stafford — remarks that emigration is less, and farming less depressed, now than at the beginning of the century. In Leicester it is considered that there is more emigration this year than ever. In Waltham on the Wolds cheap cottages and allotments are said to restrain emigration. In the Cossington dis- trict it is said that there are no agricultural vacancies for the natural increase of the population. .Migration does not occur in Rutland except where ironstone is worked, and then only temporarily, VI. — Lincoln and Norfolk. Employment iti agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. IS^ot only has no reduction in the number of farmers taken place in the past ten years, but, on the contrary, in several localities iheir number has been increased by the creation of small holdings. The great majority of reports state that there has been no reduction in the number of farm labourers permanently employed. Ex- ceptions, however, occur; fewer permanent labourers are required in the districts of North Kesteven, Louth, Horncastle, and North Lincoln, between Lynn and Peterborough, around Thetford and in North-West Norfolk. Statements as to a reduction in the number of temporary labourers are about evenly divided. In North-AVest and West Lincoln, West Holland, North and East Norfolk, and in most places where permanent labour has been reduced the employment of temporary workmen has also diminished. In North Kesteven the decrease is said to be due to the use of machinery and the introduction of small holdings, and the effect of machinery in displacing labour is also mentioned by a correspondent at Swaft'ham. In Norfolk the present supply of labour is, in most districts, -considered sufficient, few statements to the contrary being made, but in Lincoln an insufficient supply is reported by one half of the correspondents. The districts referred to include North and West Lincoln, Bourne, AVest Holland and Moulton, though in some places the shortage is not very great. In AVest Holland tlie supply of Irish labourers lias diminished, and the scarcity is felt most in the potato-growing districts. The scarcity is permanent in character on the whole, though temporary causes, such as railway works in North Lincoln, partly account for it. Seasonal work in the Yarmouth herring fishery affects the supply near that town. It is principally single young men who are difficult to obtain. Ea^tent, cause and direction of migration. In most parts of Lincoln and practically throughout Norfolk •correspondents state that the country districts are losing youths rather than adults and their families. In some parts of Lincoln, however, the movement is not yet very serious. In Lincolnshire a proportion of the young men go to the towns to improve their prospects : for example, the extension of railway works and docks 15 at Scunthorpe and Immingliam lias drawn men from North Lin- coln. The main stream of migration from Lincoln, however, and almost the whole of the migration from Norfolk goes to the British Dominions, and Canada absorbs most of the emigrants. The other Dominions appear to receive a very small proportion. In addition to the freely advertised inducements of high wages, plenty of work, and prospects of obtaining land easily, the fact that intending emigrants often have friends already living in Canada appears to be a very common reason for selecting that country. In some districts a good many of the emigrants are farmers' sons. Special instances of migration and general observations. A correspondent at Stalham, in North-East Norfolk, mentions a batch of 32 strong young men, from 15 to 30 years of age, many taken from regular jobs, who have emigrated to Canada. He comments on the insufficiency of houses for young married couples to settle in, adding that there is not in Stalham a house fit for occupation which is unoccupied ; his opinion is that small holdings and co-operative methods should be encouraged and decent houses erected and let at rents which labourers can afford. Other references to the insufficiency of housing accommodation are made in East Norfolk, North Lincolnshire, West Holland, and at Bourne. Some other correspondents also advocate the increase of small holdings, to induce men to remain in the country. In North-West Lincoln it is stated that tenant farmers cannot go on as at present paying higher wages than they can afford, and a similar statement is made as regards small farmers in South Kesteven. yil. — Suffolk, Cambridge and Huntingdon. Employ nient in agriculture and sup2>ly of agricultural labour. In East Suffolk a reduction of farmers during the last ten years has taken place, and in the Histon and Girton districts of Cambridge a small decrease is noted. The reduction in permanent and temporary labourers, although occurring to some extent in all three counties, is not extensive. It is stated that no reduction has occurred in South-East Suffolk, West Suffolk, or in the eastern counties generally. In the east, where practically all the labour is permanent, and south-west of the county, reductions have occurred, also in the neighbourhood of Bury St. Edmunds, but not in the Ipswich district. Eeductions of both classes of labour are Teported in the Wisbech district, and of permanent labour only in the vicinity of Coates and Whittlesea and of Histon and Tmpington, in Cambridge. In most parts of these counties the supply of labour is said to be adequate, although it is frequently stated that there is no surplus. In East Suffolk a 5 per cent, deficiency, chiefly of skilled workers, is estimated, and it is ascribed lo permanent caiises. Another correspondent, in North-East Suff'olk, reports a serious deficiency in his district of all classes of agricultural labour. 16 It is regarded as " uot too plentiful" in the neighbourhood ol: Bury St. Edmunds. In the Fen district of the Isle of Ely there is said to be a serious deficiency of ordinary agricultural labourers, except for about 4 months in the year. In the parish of Wisbech St. Mary there is plenty of labour except for the fruit season and harvest. In Huntingdon labour is stated to be suffi- cient but only because the style of farming has been adapted to the supply. "Where a deficiency exists it is everywhere attri- buted to permament causes except in the Somersham district of Huntingdon, where a slight deficiency in field workers is stated to be temporary. A correspondent who reports on a district between Cambridge and Newmarket, comprising 11 villages, con- siders that there will be a scarcity in the near future. Extent, cause and direction of migration. Migration is reported in greater or less degree by nearly every correspondent, and the attraction of higher wages is the general cause. In West Suffolk a lack of good cottages is mentioned, but it is also stated that only a few migrants would have been retained by their provision. Desire for shorter hours, for holi- days and town amusements are frequently mentioned. The difficulty of obtaining land for small-holdings and the increased cost of living are given as reasons for migration in parts of Suffolk and Cambridge. Education and over-population are g^iven as causes in villages in tlie south-east of Cambridge, where also leaflets inducing migration are distributed by agents of the Yorkshire mines. A lack of cottages is also mentioned in this district. Migration has taken place to the colonies, and in a less degree to towns. From East Suffolk some have gone to higlier-waged rural districts, and from Bar dwell, in West Suffolk, youths have gone to Yorkshire. There is very little migration to foreign countries. Canada is the most popular Dominion, the activities of emigra- tion agents, the success of friends and relatives who have pre- viously emigrated, and the accessibility of the land being the main reasons given for the choice of that destination. Australia and New Zealand rank next, but are much less favoured. Special instances and general observations. A correspondent in South-West Suffolk mentions several farmers' sons whose fathers were unable to set them up on farm& at home, who made up a party for Australia in 1912. In several cases farmers' sons and labourers have done well in Canada, and have sent home the requisite money for relatives to join them. From Bardwell, in West Suffolk, a man who succeeded in Canada has been joined by the rest of his family and other young men. From West Cambridge a farmer and his family went to Australia and su( oeeded in the milk trade ; the correspondent thinks, how- ever, that he would have done as well had he worked as hard in England. The same correspondent mentions a draper's assistant who went to Canada as a carpenter. On holiday in England 17 recently, he reported himself as getting £5 per week. A corre- spondent in the Isle of Ely states that his own agricultural labourers have emigrated. Another correspondent mentions a man who went to Australia, taking his family. He had already been in New Zealand as a single man and had returned and done badly at home, although he was a good workman. A corre- spondent at Gamlingay states that all the emigrants of whom he has personal knowledge could have got work at home. Men have also obtained work on railways. Some, in the eastern counties, find employment in herring fishing and in trawling, and the New- market racing stables absorb a good many men in the villages of the south-east of Cambridge. In East Suffolk a correspondent thinks the situation more serious than appears on the surface owing to the fact that there will be no young men to take the places of the old skilled men as they become incapacitated ; another in the south-west of the county does not think the movement is on a sufficient scale to need watching. Another correspondent, who is a farmer himself, thinks that agricultural labourers are underpaid, but does not see how they can be paid more at the present price of produce. The lack of suitable cottages and the difficulty in obtaining small holdings are mentioned frequently as causes of migration, and the promise of holdings has, in the Mildenhall district, induced intending emigrants to remain. Several correspondents regard small holdings as the best deterrent to migration. In East Cambridge emigration has not yet affected the supply of labour, but, at the present rate there will be a shortage soon. In the neighbourhood of Gamlingay the provision of small holdings has checked migration. A correspondent, speaking of the county of Huntingdon, writes that in the early eighties, owing to the fall in the price of wheat, a lot of land went out of cultivation and about half the population took up industrial life. Migration to various parts of England took place until 1902. Since then the only outlet has been to the police force, and now the accumulation of the last few years is drifting to the colonies. The Census figures for the St. Neots Union, which the correspondent quotes, show a steady decrease from 1871 to 1901, but an increase in 1911. Another states that education has opened the eyes of agricultural labourers to their material disadvantages, and the more enterprising are migrating. This is confining the supply of labour to the less efficient, and tends to the growing of grass and crops which require little labour, or else the requisite labour is imperfectly performed. VIII. — Bedford, Northampton and Warv^ick. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. Some reduction of farmers during the last ten years is reported in parts of Bedford and Warwick, but the majority of corre- spondents state that none has occurred. Reduction in the number of permanent and temporary labourers required has been general, and in the Biggleswade district it is stated to have been very great. In parts of Northampton, on the other hand, an 32189 ^ 18 increase of ijermanent agricultural labourers is said to Lave occurred, many tliird-g-rade shoemakers now working on the land; in other parts of the county the reduction is stated to be slight. In Warwick land has been laid down to grass, and the reduction of labourers employed has been due to their scarcity. The present supply of labour in these counties is barely adequate. In the Biggleswade district a serious deficiency of young men is ascribed to permanent causes. In the Luton and Dunstable district the deficiency of labour is estimated at from 10 per cent, to 15 per cent. In Mid-Northampton a 5 per cent, shortage, chiefly among men required to work on Sundays, is ascribed partly to temporary good trade. In North-East and Central Warwick a deficiency of young men, attributed to activity in the motor, cement and engineering trades, and to the opening up of new coal pits, is estimated at 2 per cent, in the former district and as high as 20 per cent, in the latter. In the Atherstone district a great deficiency of stockmen and labourers is reported, and is attributed both to permanent and temporary causes. In the Mount Kirby district, a shortage, probably permanent, of both skilled and casual labour amounts to 10 per cent. In North-West Warwick, cowmen, hedgers, ditchers, harvest-men, potato-lifters and milkers are wanted, ihe deficiency being variable but not serious except for potato-lifting. In the neighbourhood of Peter- borough the deficiency is very small. In East Northampton, hedgers, drainers, ditchers and thatchers are scarce, and the causes are feared to be permanent. These classes of workers are stated to liave been underpaid in the past, but not now. Extent, cause, and direction of migration. Every correspondent in these counties reports migration both of adults and families and of youths,, in Bedford that of youths preponderating. Low wages and a shortage of houses, as well as objection to Sunday work and the dulness of rural life, are stated as general causes. There are various local causes; for instance, in the Biggleswade district want of facilities for obtain- ing land is mentioned. In the Brackley district the Great Central Railway has absorbed labour, and in East Northampton the break-up of larg-e estates has induced migration. In parts of Warwick collieries and stone-quarries have offered more attractive employment. The use of bicycles has enabled men to live in the villages after they have obtained employment in towns. Migration has been mainly to towns and the Dominions, especially Canada. Better wages, the prospect of independence, the cheap passage, the success of friends and advertisements are all given as reasons for the choice of that country. Australia has also attracted emigrants and a considerably smaller number have gone to New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. From a ten mile radius round the borough of Northampton, it is estimated that 25 per cent, of those who have left have gone to towns and 75 per cent, to the colonies or to foreign countries. A correspondent in the Hardingstone Poor Law Union states that three out of four emigrants to Canada return at the end of their first season. 19 Special iiistances of migration and general ohservations. A large number of instances have been mentioned which hav« come within the correspondents' personal knowledge ; for instance, from around the village of Floore, in Northampton, thirty-two cases have occurred in two years. Of these, three went to Australia and the remainder, including three families, to Canada. Others have gone to difierent parts of England. A correspondent in North- West Warwick mentions cases of emigration to Western Australia, Tasmania, Ehodesia, California, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Ontario, including farmers, fruit-growers and labourers, both families and single men. Opinions differ as to the seriousness of the migration that is taking place. In the Clifton district of Bedford, it is stated to be not serious, and only to affect the surplus population, not fully employable in agriculture. In the Luton and Dunstable district it is feared that it will be very serious in a few years. In the. Kettering" district arable land has largely gone to pasture, and in other parts it is stated that this will become necessary. In North- AVest Warwickshire farmers are trying to meet the loss of Irish labour by mechanical potato-lifters, but with varying success. Depression in the building irade during the last six years is stated to have eased the agricultural position in this district. IX. — Buckingham, Oxfokd, and Berkshire. Empluynient in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. No reduction in the number of farmers has taken place in these counties except in the High Wycombe and Haddenham districts of Buckingham. In the neighbourhood of Whitchurch, in Buckingham, and in the Wantage district of Berkshire an increase, due to small holdings, has occurred. A reduction in permanent and temporary labour has been general, although in some districts, as regards permanent labour, it is stated to be slight. In the rural district of Aylesbury both permanent and temporary labour, and, in Berkshire, temporary labour, have been displaced by machinery. One correspondent in Bucking- ham reports a serious reduction of permanent labour, but in parts of Berkshire the reduction has been confined to temporary labour. In the Wantage district, on the other hand, increased tem- porary labour has been required in consequence of the reduction of permanent labour. The supply of labour varies considerably in these counties. On the whole, it would appear to be adequate in Oxford, but barely adequate in Buckingham and Berkshire, and where a deficiency exists it is generally ascribed to permanent causes. In the Aylesbury, Buckingham, and Winslow districts there is a serious deficiency mainly of milkers and men required to work seven day; ^"eek. Other correspondents in this county estimate a 5 to 10 pi r cent, deficiency of cattlemen and horse-keepers. An increasing deficiency of casual labour is noted in Mid-Bucking- ham, and in the Haddenham district the deficiency of the best men 32189 . . C 20 « is very great, one farm being stated to employ three old-age pen- sioners. In Sontli Oxford a 5 per cent, shortage in cattlemen is reported. Extent, cause, and direction of migration. Migration, both of adults and their families and of youths, has been general throughout these counties, although in the Wycombe district, -where Buckingham adjoins Oxford, it is not considered likely to extend, as wages have advanced lately, and there are greater opportunities of acquiring gardens and allot- ments, which, says one correspondent, are the best inducement to keep the agricultural population in the villages. Migration is frequently attributed to low wages, bad and insufficient houses, and to ambition aroused hj education; in some cases the use of machinery has reduced the number of agricultural labourers required, and, in others, corn lands have had to be laid to inferior grass. High rents are mentioned in the Haddenham district, and it is stated that the cost of living has increased there by 25 per cent, in the last ten years, with no corresponding- increase in wages. Migration has been mainly in the direction of towns and colonies and, very occasionally, to higher waged rural districts. In North Berkshire and South Buckingham it is said to be directed mainly to towns. In the northern part of Berkshire, migration largely takes place to Swindon and to Reading; and the chair-making industry of High Wycombe has induced a great influx to that town during the last fifteen years. Of the Dominions, Canada has attracted most emigrants, because it is nearest, the passage is cheapest, work is stated to be plentiful there, and access to the land is easy. Special instances and general observations. Nearly all the correspondents mention instances of migration with which they are personally acquainted, and which are not confined to agricultural labourers, but include village trades- men, &c., who find it increasingly difficult to make a living in Tural districts. From the Buckingham district a waggoner and his family, whose weekly wage at home was 18.f. rent free, a village carrier with two sons, and a village carpenter and his family have gone to Canada, the two latter taking up land. Two farmers' sons from the same district are doing well in Australia. One agent in the neighbourhood of Aylesbury has booked over 200 emigrants this year, and in many cases has secured situations for them before sailing. From Thornborough (Bucks) five families and two individuals have gone to Australia, a family and five individuals to Canada, and a family to Nova Scotia. A man left for Canada recently from the Haddenham district, tired of waiting for a small holding-. From the Wantage district twenty or thirty young men are said to go every year. One correspondent suggests State assistance in the form of credit banks, &c. Two correspondents, in Oxford and Berk- shire, consider that the tendency of labourers to emigrate has increased since the passing of the National Insurance Act. 21 X. — WoRCESTEE, Hereford, and Gloucester. Employ^nent in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. With few exceptions the replies do not indicate any reduction in the number of farmers during the last ten years; on the •contrary, the number lias increased owing- to the breaking up of larger farms into small holdings. In Gloucestershire, except in the districts round Gloucester, 'Cheltenham, Cirencester, and Tewkesbury, there has been a reduction in the number of permanent labourers required. Reductions are also indicated in Mid and East Worcester and throughout Hereford. The demand for temporary labour has not diminished quite so generally. The supply of agricultural labourers is, however, generally insufficient, and the insufficiency is attributed by most of the correspondents to causes of a more or less permanent character, such as scarcity of cottages, irregularity of employment, and low wages. In the Pershore district the insufficient capital of fanners is stated as a cause. In Worcester the deficieucy applies largely to waggoners and stockmen, and in the central and western district it is serious. It is also felt to some extent in the fruit and hop districts, and in the soutli of the county, though it is not yet serious, it is increasing. In South-West Gloucester the deficiency applies mainly to harvest hands, and in the Badminton district to cowmen and woodmen; while, in Hereford, there is a growin-^ shortage mainly of thatchers, milkers and stockmen. In the Pershore district unemployed townsmen are set to such work as fruit-picking, which, it is stated, would be performed by boys and girls in a well-populated agricultural district. The supply is less inadequate in Gloucester than in the other two counties, there being a sufficiency in the north-east and in the neighbourhood of Cheltenham, Gloucester, Cirencester, and Tewkesbury. Extent, cause, and direction of migration. Migration of men employed in fruit-growing and in mark( fc gardens, as well as of farm hands, has been general, though in many districts not great, the main cause being unsatisfactory wages and housing. In Gloucester and Hereford the lack of allotments and small holdings is mentioned. In Gloucester, too, the high wages in other industries are i\n inducement to leave agricultural work, and in Hereford the difficulty in obtaining farms has sent farmers' sons abroad. In laany cases parents feel that the colonies offer better opportunitie •; to their childrcD than farming at home. Migration has been mainly to the colonies and, in a slightly less degree, to collieries, railways, and towns such as Swindon and Melksham. From Worcester and Hereford a few labourers have gone to other rural districts. Of emigrants, most have gone "to Canada, but in the last few years the number going to Australia has increased. New Zealand and the United States attract some, and there are isolated cases of emigration to Rhodesia and South America 321,'-9 * 2 22 The facilities for taking up land would appear to be the chief attraction of Canada, and advertisements have made it better known than other colonies. Special instances and general ohservations. In the Tenbury district a man who earned 3s. a day at home was offered 2s. 6d. per hour by a contractor in Canada, and in another case £100 a year with a free passage to the United States was offered. From Mid- Worcester a family and four youths went to Canada recently with a man who had come home on a Christmas visit, and from the same district a farmer and his family have also lately departed. From Pershore six farm .and garden labourers migrated to towns last year and several to Canada. A correspondent in North-East Gloucester has personal knowledge of cases of migration to several colonies. An unsuc- cessful farmer and family tried farming in Canada. Two brothers, after apprenticeship on farms here, have taken up 160 acres each in Canada and are doing well. Four agricultural labourers, an engine-driver, and a rough carpenter have also gone. A clerk in a corn warehouse and a blacksmith are both doing well in similar positions in Australia, and a farmer's son has gone to T^ew Zealand. The son of another correspondent has gone to a large farm in Rhodesia, and from the village of Badminton, with a population of 500, thirteen men, women and children have departed for Canada this year. A ploughman aged 18, from the Cirencester district, earning 10.?. per week here was offered 8.?. per day on landing in New Zealand. On the other hand, a head gardener who went to Australia with his family two years ago wishes he was back. In the Leominster district an agent booked 100 passages in the spring. In the Tenbury district, according to one correspondent, there are too many cottages tied to farms. He thinks it would be better if cottages were let by the landlords direct to labourers. " In any case," he writes, " cottages are gradually being built, wages are slightly advancing, and I believe the difficulty will gradually be met." In Mid-Worcester there are said to be several derelict farms consisting of from 40 to 150 acres of good land close to a manufacturing town, the charges on the land and the low price of prodiice keeping them out of cultivation. Several corre- spondents consider that the provision of small holdings will check the tendency of labourers to migi'ate ; but it is stated by one corre- spondent in Hereford that the rents of the holdings are too high. XI. — Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultiiral lahour. Two correspondents, in South Devon and in the neighbourhood of ^.th, respectively, report a reduction in the number of farmtis during the last ten years, but generally in these counties no decrease has occurred. In South Somerset, North-East Devon, and West Cornwall an increase of farmers has been noted, due in the last two districts to small holdings. Less of 23 both permanent and temporary labour has been required in many districts where land has been laid to pasture, and men have been displaced by machinery. In North-East Devon and West Somerset the diminution has been confined to temporary labourers and in East and South Devon and i^orth-East Somerset to permanent labourers. The supply of labour available is nowhere plentiful, and is insufficient or barely sufficient in Cornwall, but less inadequate in Devon and Somerset. One half of the reports from Devon mention a shortage, but in Somerset the supply is sufficient, except near the collieries and in the west. In Cornwall, stockmen, horsemen, and cowmen are scarce from both permanent and temporary causes, and in the west of the county young men are especially deficient. Two correspondents in the eastern part of the county refer to the shortage of skilled intelligent men. Carters and cow^men are wanted in parts of Somerset, more particularly in the north, and on the hill farms of the west. Extent, cause, and direction of migration. Migration has taken place throughout these counties exten- sively from North-East Devon and from the Holsworthy and Germansweek districts. It affects more especially youths, though it is by no means confined to them, and is ascribed, as in other parts of the country, to low wages, deficient housing, and unsuitable education. A correspondent in the Bridgwater district considers that small holdings promote migration, as less labour is required upon them, and another in JSTortli Cornwall observes that there are more young men than are required. Aver- sion to the Insurance Act is stated as a cause of emigration from Devon and some parts of North Cornwall and South Somerset. In Cornwall migration to other districts occurs, but it proceeds mainly to the colonies and in a less degree to towns and collieries. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States have all attracted emigrants, the first-named being the country usually chosen on account of its nearness and the low cost of the passage. Canada offers good wages and Australia a good •climate, and to the latter ihe assisted passage is an inducement. Miners from Cornwall have gone to South Africa. Special instances and general observations. It appears from the special instances quoted by correspon- dents that when an individual migrates he is frequently followed by other members of his family. From the West Penwith district four brothers recently followed each other at intervals to Canada, and now their parents and the remaining brothers are contemplating joining them. A correspondent in the Trurc district has personal knowledge of 150 cases of emigration from the county in six weeks. Some hundreds went from North Devon in the spring ; young men from the country districts and married men from Barnstaple and other towns. From the east of the county a farmer, who failed on account of the calling in of money that he had borrowed to purchase his holding, emigrated; 24 and a labourer who had worked twenty years on the same farm was reluctantly obliged to take up casual urban employment on account of the reduction of the labour required on the farm following- a change of tenancy. Many farming families are- stated to have gone from the Holsworthy district owing to the- difficulty of obtaining new farms after the sale of estates, and from the Bideford district large numbers have gone to Canada this spring, and others are preparing to follow in time for the Canadian harvest. From North Somerset several families and many young men have gone to South Wales, but several youths- are stated to have returned from Canada, finding the life too- hard. A correspondent states that many leave the Bridgwater district every month for the colonies ; and from the neighbourhood of Bath masons, carpenters, and gardeners, as well as agricultural labourers, both single men and families, have gone to the colonies. In North Devon agricultural labourers are said to be getting higher wages than ten years ago, but not enough to make up for the additional cost of living. In the east development is hindered by the absence of sufficient security for the investment of money in agriculture, by the lack of any inducement to make improvements, and by the length of time required by a labourer to save sufficient to stock a small holding. It is con- sidered by more than one correspondent that the school-leaving age is too high. Boys leave at fourteen and do not get sufficient technical agricultural training to make them worth men's wages when they desire them. A correspondent in the neighbourhood of West Penwith writes : " Something seems wrong when our boys are evading work on the farms and we have to import boys from the Poor Law schools of London." In Western Cornwall increases in rent, rates, taxes and cost of labour have forced farmers to lay much arable land to grass. This and the use of" niachinerv have limited the inconvenience to farmers of a shortao-e of labour. A correspondent in the Truro district considers there is less fixity of attachment to rural occupation on account of a state of uncertainty affecting owners, occupiers, and workmen p and a correspondent in West Somerset writes : "If tenant farmers liave to jiay higher wages, rents must be reduced accordingly." XII. — Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour.. Most of the replies state that no reduction has taken place in the number of farmers ; but, although within the last few years there has been no decrease in South-West Dorset, Wilts, and Mid-Hants, the number is said to have fallen as compared Avith 30 years ago. Increases, in most cases due to an extension of small holdings, have occurred in Soutli-West Wilts, North and East Dorset, tlie district around Bournemouth, and in the Isle of AVight. In the main there has been a decrease in the number of persons employed in agriculture, although in most districts the present supply of labour is said to be sufficient. Scarcity, wher& it exists, is usually in the amount of skilled labour available,. i 25 such as hedgers, tliatcliers, ploughmen, &c. Such a scarcity is reported in East Dorset — where the supply of skilled labour is said to be deficient by 10 per cent. — in South Wilts and in South Hants. In the last district tliere is also a lack of young- labourers, the deficiency being estimated as 10 per cent, near the towns and 5 per cent, in the rural districts. The number of permanent and temporary labourers employed lias decreased throughout almost the whole of the three counties; but there has been an increase of temporary labour in the Isle of Wight and in the Bournemouth district. E.vtent, cause, and direction of migration. ^Migration, both of families and youths, has been general throughout the three counties. In those cases where the extent of the movement has been indicated, migration is described as very little in the case of families but considerable amongst youths . The people are going to the towns and in greater numbers to the colonies, Canada being mentioned as the destination of the maioritv of those leaving the countrv. Emigration to Australia and New Zealand is taking place to a less extent, but more particularly from the South of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Movement to other rural districts is generally rare, but it is stated to be considerable in East Dorset on April 6 of each year, removal being rendered easy by farmers sending their teams to transport families and their goods and chattels, free of expense — in many instances over a distance of 15 or 20 miles. Around Lavington (Wilts) there has also been migration to other districts, the War Office having acquired land there. In Wiltshire men are attracted to the coal mines, and to the Great Western Railway works at Swindon. The chief explanation given of the migration is the low rate of wages prevalent and the glowing advertisements of the emigra- tion agents. Bad or insufficient housing is also given as a reason in certain parishes of Dorset, in East Wilts, and on some estates in the Isle of Wight. In South- West Wilts and North Dorset there is insufficient employment due to much arable land having been converted to pasture in recent years. Special instances of Tnigration "hnd general observations. Twenty-two lads have emigrated to Canada this year from the parish of Mere (Wilts). From Poole Railway station, over 200 families have departed for Canada since the beginning of the year, and from the villages around Dorchester one emigration agent has sent out 40 persons in the same period. From two villages near Shorwell (Isle of Wight) at least 20 young men have emigrated during the months of March, April, and May of this year. Persons of all classes engaged in agricul- ture are included among* the emigrants. Two of the best known farmers in South Wilts, both nearly 60 years old, have gone with 26 their families to New Zealand, finding that there was no oppor- tunity of giving their children a good start in this conntry. The young men migrating are said to he those with a little more educa- tion and amhition than the average. In some districts the Small Holdings Act is said to have checked migration, but the supply of land is not sufficient. In North Hants tlie demand for farms far exceeds the supply. The sugges- tion is made that grants should be made to men taking up small holdings, as it is much more expensive to start a small holding than to migrate. Some correspondents consider that the National Insurance Act has influenced men to emigrate. XIII. — Surrey, Kent, and Sussex. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. Some reduction in the number of farmers during the last ten years has taken place in the neighbourhood of Leatherhead and Guildford, and in South-East Kent and South-West Sussex, but the great majority of correspondents state that no decrease has occurred. In a few districts the subdivision of large farms has caused an increase of farmers. The permanent and casual labour required in these counties seems to have been reduced generally though in varying degree. In many parts of all three counties, notably in the Eomney Marsh, Ashford and Arundel districts, it is stated +l]at no diminution at a]] bos occurred and m others it is slight. In the neighbourhood of Leatlierhead and Redhill the reduction is confined to permanent labour and in the Isle of Sheppey and the Hailsham district to temporary labour. The supply of labour available varies greatly. There is a wide-spread shortage of skilled, efficient men, especially on out- lying farms, which is usually attributed to permanent causes, and is accentuated where railways are being opened. There would appear to be a sufficiency of labour in the neighbour- hood of Leatherhead, Woking, Horsham, West Grinstead and Burwash ; also in North-West Kent, and. except at abnormal times, around Maidstone. The supply is insufficient in the Canterbury district, in South-East and East Kent, and in the Arundel and Mayfield districts ; and in the neighbourhood of Oxted the deficiency can be met only by employing tramx) lalioiir. Where deficiency exists it is,* in most parts, not great, although, speaking of Surrey generally, one correspondent states that there is a serious shortage of thatchers, rickers, carters, shepherds and stockmen. In the west of Surrey there is a deficiency both of permanent and casual men. In South-East Kent a general deficiency is also reported, and in South Kent it is stated to be small but increasing. On the Romney Marsh men for shearing and lambing, and in Sheppey horsemen, are wanted. In Sussex a deficiency of gardeners, carters and cowmen is felt especially in summer. Thatchers, drainers, hedgers, Avoodmen, milkmen, foddermen are all difficult to obtain, and in the Rye, Battle and Hastings district there is a slight shortage of hop dryers. 27 Extent, cause, and direction of migration. The migration both of adults and youths has been general, and the usual causes are low wages, increased cost of living, and deficient housing, while a desire for better conditions has been aroused by education. In West Surrey the scarcity of houses is said to be partly due to exacting sanitary regulations, and in West Sussex some cottages have been turned into " villas." The responsibility for low wages is sometimes ascribed to excessive taxation. On the East Surrey- and West Kent borders the difficulty of obtaining small holdings is cited as a cause, and also in the Canterbury and Tonbridge districts. In North-West Kent the closing of some openings for industrial employment, including 2i gas works, has caused emigration, and in some parts of this county a reduction of wages is said to be consequent upon the grubbing up of hops. In other parts, however, the higher wages paid in connection with the cultivation of this crop and of fruit have checked migration. At Swanscombe land is being withdrawn from cultivation for cement-making, A corre- spondent in South-West Sussex states that men emigrate with reluctance and for the sake of a career, and that it is caused by the continual merging of small farms into larger ones. On the other hand, in the Eoniney Mar.sli district, the division of large farms into small holdings, whereby the staff of men kept by substantial farmers is reduced, is said to diminish agricultural employment. Migration has proceeded to towns, and in a somewhat greater ■degree to the colonies, more especially to Canada and Australia. Special in.'itances and general ohservations. A large number of correspondents quote instances of migration which have come within their own knowledge. From the Canter- bury district nearly 300 are stated to have gone abroad in 1912, and the same number during the first six months of 1913. In South-East Kent a fanner of 300 acres with his family and friends made up a party of twenty for Western Australia. A <3orrespondent in the Ashford district knows two cases of farmers selling out here and buying land in Australia, considering farming there a better investment than in England. In other parts of Kent men desiring small holdings have grown tired of waiting and gone to Canada, and labourers have gone to towns on account of the withdrawal of land from agriculture for industrial purposes. In the parish of Merrow, near Guildford, a village constable who failed to get a small holding went to Canada. A correspondent in Sussex who employs 250 men is continually losing the best of them. From Burwash more than thirty adults have gone in two years. Successful emigrants are constantly joined by brothers, parents, other relatives, and friends. The weekly wages of labourers here are often their daily wages after •emigration, although several correspondents in these counties Tecord cases in which emigrants have returned dissatisfied. 28 A correspondent in the Leatherhead district records a slight improvement in agriculture lately, some land having- been broken up ; cottages, too, have been improved a little and in West Horsley several have been built. Another correspondent, speak- ing- of the Eomney Marsh district, states that there is a growing tendency for the technical parts of farm work and shepherding not to be learnt, and that the advanced school-leaving age is not calculated to give a boy a taste for agricultural work. A corre- spondent in Sussex states that high rents, burdens on land, and foreign competition preclude the offering of wages sufficiently attractive to stop emigration. Xiy. — Essex, Hertfokdshire and Middlesex. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. With a few small exceptions, the number of farmers in these counties has not decreased during the last 10 years. In the Walthamstow, Romford, and Chad well Heath districts there has been a reduction, which is explained by proximity to London and the consequent absorption of agricultural land for building purposes. In North Essex an increase is reported, due to the splitting up of several large farms, as is also the case in West Hertford, where the increase of small holders accounts for the larger number of farmers. About one-half of the correspondents report a reduction in the number of labourers engaged — both permanent and temporary. In North Essex the reduction is said to be due to the introduction of improved machinery, and in greater degree to the influx of hard-working north-country men. Fewer Irish labourers go to Middlesex for the haymaking than formerly, and their jdace has not been taken by other casual labour. The supply of labour is generally sufficient, a slight scarcity being felt in the Eochford district, Tiptree, and Mid-Essex, and in the Hitchin district. There is a small temporary shortage of good men in East and North-East Hertford, attributable to the construction of a new railway. At Cheshunt (Hertford), where there are over 500 acres of land covered with glass houses employ- ing over 2,000 men and boys, the higher rate of wages paid iu the nurseries creates a scarcity of outdoor labour during the summer months. In the district around Chadwell Heath (Essex) the deficiency is stated to be serious, all classes of labour being scarce. In West Herts the supply of skilled labour is also deficient, and there is a dearth of cottages. "o^ Extent, cause, and direction of migration. Throughout the three counties migration is general to the towns, and to a greater extent to the colonies. There is no movement to other rural districts; on the other hand, the higher wages paid in the nurseries at Cheshunt attract young men from other rural districts in the eastern counties. The greenhouses only provide full employment for them during the 29 summer months, and when the slack season arrives they migrate to London or remain in the district without employment during the winter months, very few returning to their homes. The majority of those migrating are young men. In Xorth- East Hertford it is stated that some married men are emigrating and leaving their families behind. The destination of most of those emigrating is Canada- There are emigrants to Australia from all three counties, and men are said to go from Cheshunt to the United States, w^here there would seem to be a demand for men experienced in glass- house cultivation. Of those leaving the Chelmsford district 30 per cent, are said to emigrate. Migration is attributed mainly to absence of prospects at home or hopes of better prospects elsewhere. Low wages are said to be the cause in North Herts and around Ashford (Middlesex), and there is a lack of cottages in North Essex, Rochford Eural Dis- trict, and West Herts. Emigration is encouraged by the exten- sive advertising of the emigration agents and shipping com- panies, and the favourable reports received from friends who have already emigrated. Canada is favoured owing to its comparative nearness and the cheapness of the fares. Emigration to Canada from North Hertford is increasing, and will probably continue to increase, but to Australia it has not been so great during the past, year. Special instances of migration and general observations. During the last seven years over 40 persons have taken passages- to Canada from North Hertford through one agency. A large pro- portion of the youths in the parish of Picton (Hitchin) left thia spring for Canada. In the Chadwell Heath district there is said to be considerable difficulty in obtaining land. Three young men of the better class, being unsuccessful in their efforts to obtain land, emigrated to- Canada. It is suggested that if small holdings were more readily obtainable, migration to ihe towns and the colonies would be- checked. XV. — Anglesey, Caenarvon, Denbigh, Flint and Merioneth. Employment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. Two correspondents in Anglesey, two in Denbigh, and one in Merioneth report a reduction in the number of farmers during the last ten years, but the great majority state that no reduction has occurred. A diminution in the permanent labour required has been widely noted where land has been laid down to grass,, and machinery has displaced some labour. In the Lleyii penin- sula (Carnarvon), where wages have risen, little temporary labour is now employed. The supply of labour seems fairly adequate in many parts of these counties, but less so in Denbigh, Flint and Merioneth than. 30 in Anglesey and Carnarvon, althougli in Merioneth the land is stated to be poorly cultivated and a minimum of labour employed. In Anglesey a scarcity of female labour is noted by one corre- spondent, and in the Lleyn peninsula there is a deficiency of all classes of farm workers. The causes here, as in most districts where a shortage exists, are regarded as permanent. In the Ruthin district casual labour for hoeing and harvesting is difficult to obtain, and hedging and draining are neglected, the scarcity of men being attributed to the good industrial condi- tions prevailing. Young teamsmen and cowmen are getting scarcer, and there is a deficiency of general field labourers in the ■county of Denbigh as a whole. In parts of Flint and Denbigh a serious deficiency of casual men for harvest, turnip-hoeing, and threshing is attributed to the demand for labour in connection with w^aterworks, and in Merioneth cowmen and waggoners are scarce. Exte7it, cause and direction of migration. Migration, confined in some districts to youths, and in many places small, has been general, and a very frequent cause has been the reduction of the amount of labour employed by farmers on account of advanced wages. Quarrymen have emigrated owing to the slackness in the demand for them, and agricultural workers have followed their example. Inadequate housing is another cause. Migration has proceeded, especially from Merioneth, to the South Wales collieries and towns, but more extensively towards Canada, and in a less degree Australia. Advertisements by ship- ping companies and the success of previous emigrants in those colonies have influenced the stream in those directions. In one district two farm labourers who went to Canada thirty-five years ago have recently returned with fortunes. From parts of Denbigh some have gone to South America, and occasional emigration to New Zealand takes place. Isolated instances are anentioned to the United States, South Africa and California. Special instances and general observations. A correspondent in the Abergele district mentions the emigration within the last four years of five families who are now farming successfully in Western Australia. From the Ruthin district thirty or forty young men and a few young women have emigrated within the last seven years, without exception the most skilful. From the Colwyn district thirty young men have emigrated this year with the object of getting farms of their own. From Xorth- West Flint a farmer's son went to Canada eight years ago, and has since been joined by four brothers, and they are farming successfully. In Anglesey wages are stated to have advanced 10 per cent, this season, and further advances will probably have to be made if farmers are to get suitable labour. In Carnarvon the high •cost of building and the fear of further burdens on land are said to make landowners unwilling to build cottages. 31 XYI. — Montgomery, Radnor, Brecon and Cardigan. E mployynent in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. Although amalgamation of farms has occurred occasionally in; these counties, there has been no general reduction in the number of farmers during" the last ten years, and an increase is recorded by a correspondent who reports on the county of Montg-omery as a whole. A reduction of the permanent and temporary labour employed is general, and is attributed to the increase of pasture and the use of machinery. Except in part of Montgomery the supply of labour is in- adequate, and the inadequacy is due to permanent causes. In • the South-East of Radnor there is a serious deficiency' of farm labour generally. In the Builth Wells district of Brecon the- shortage is very great, and in Mid-Cardigan it is stated that a large proportion of the good labourers leave the district. In Mont- gomery a deficiency is reported of shepherds, cattlemen, thatchers^ stackmakers, and men who can take charge of machinery. Extent, cause and direction of migration. Migration has occurred throughout these counties in varying- degree. In some districts youths are chiefly mentioned, but adults and families have also been affected, it being everywhere felt that better prospects exist in mining and abroad. Strong young people of the artizan class as well as farmers' sons depart and their places are being taken in Cardigan by vagrants and industrial school children. Farmers' sons feel that there is no prospect of obtaining either land or sufHcient wages in England, and in the Newtown district the high rents of the small-holdings, of which there is an inadequate supply, is the cause. In Radnor there is a shortage both of employment and cottages, and agricultural pupils compete with farmers' sons for farms. In Cardigan a lack of suitable hoiises and holdings: is mentioned. Apart from the coal-fields wliich absorb much of the labour, migration has been mainly to the colonies from Montgomery and Radnor and about equally to the colonies and the towns from Brecon and Cardigan. Canada is the colony most usually chosen because of the easy facilities for acquiring freehold land : while the advice of previous emigrants, the shortness and cheapness of the passage, the better wages prevailing, and the fact that scope exists for a limited amount of capital are other reasons. Many correspondents mention a secondary stream of migration to- Western Australia and Queensland, or New Zealand, and by some Australia is given first place. Migration has also proceeded to a small extent to ihe TTnited States and to South Africa. Special instances and general observations. The influence of previous emigrants, especially when they return on holiday, is often mentioned, and one corresju)! dent quotes the case of three sons of a farmer who went to Canada to farm five to seven years ago and succeeded. One of them returned on a visit recently and induced many young men to go back with him. Many farmers' sons have gone to Australia from 32 a radius of fifteen luiles round Chingimford, and a correspondent in the neighbourhood of Penrhyncoch mentions the names of eight individuals and one family who have gone to the United States. There is said to be scarcely a family in the Tregaron ■district of which no member has mig-rated to London, the collieries, or the colonies. A correspondent in Cardigan states that the proper adminis- tration of the Small Holdings Act might arrest migration and another in Montgomery suggests the amending of the Act so that the Government or the County Council pay the sinking fund. More light railways for the better marketing of produce are also ;advocated. IX VII.- — Monmouth, Glamorgan, Carmarthen, and Pembroke. JEJmployment in agriculture and supply of agricultural labour. Except in the districts around Fishguard and Pembroke, there has been no reduction in the number of farmers dur- ing the last ten years. On the other hand, the number of labourers, both permanent and temporary, has decreased m almost every locality — the districts around Neath, Swansea Yalley and Cardiff being the only localities where no reduction is reported. In North-East Carmarthen estate employees are said to l)e the only permanent labourers remaining, and there are no ■casual labourers available. The supply of labour is generally insufficient, owing to per- manent causes. Only in the Fishguard and Milford Haven districts is it reported to be adequate. The scarcity in most cases extends to all classes of labour. In South Glamorgan there is a deficiency of casual labour, hardly •any good men being obtainable; while in East and Mid- Glamorgan a serious deficiency in the supply of permanent labour and a still greater of temporary labour is reported. In the Caer- philly district (Glamorgan) there is a general deficiency. The farmers of Carmarthenshire supplement the inadequate supply of local labour by the employment of boys from industrial and reformatory schools, and in the Llandovery Union these boys are said to constitute 40 to 50 per cent, of the young labourers who " live in." The shortage of labour appears to be more pro- nounced in this county than in others adjoining. E.i'tent, cause and direction of migration. Migration is in progress throughout the four counties, the majority of those leaving being young men. In the main they are attracted to the collieries and the allied industrial works Avhich abound in South Wales, where higher wages and shorter working hours can be obtained. Of tliose emigrating. Canada lakes the majority, Australia being mentioned in fewer instances. Canada is selected by emigrants owing to the extensive advertis- ing of the good prospects there for farmers and farm labourers, the cheapness of land, and good reports from friends who have already settled there. There is no migration to other rural districts. 33 Inafleqiiate or inferior housing' is mentioned as a c'aitS'e of- men leaving South Glamorgan, the Llangadock and Llandovery districts (Carmarthen), and the Pembroke district. Special instances of migration and general observations. From the Swansea Yalley about six young men have gone to Australia and two to Canada during the last few months, the majority being farmers' sons. Owing to failure to obtain suitable farms in the Llangadock district (Carmarthen), several newly married men have gone with their wives to Canada during the first six months of this year; in addition at least a dozen farmers' sons have gone there during the same period, and some have gone to Australia. It is suggested that migration could be checked by the amend- ment of the Small Holdings Act so that access to the land may be obtained by a quicker method. The present system of education in rural districts is criticised as giving children no interest in farm work or agricultural life. Novem her, 1913. APPENDIX. Schedule of Enquiry. Migration from Rural Districts in England and Wales. 1. District to which this Report refers. 2. Is there a sufficient supply of Agricultural Labour ? 3. If insufficient : (a) Is the deficiency due to permanent or temporary causes ? (b) Among what class or classes of Agricultural Labourers does it now exist ? (c) What is the extent of the deficiency ? 4. Has there been within the past "J (a) Farmers ? 10 years a reduction of the f ..s t i xi i j o persons engaged in Agriculture M*) Labourers permanently employed .' in your district as : — ) (c) Temporary Labourers ? 6. Has there been migration : (a) of Adults and their families ? (h) of Youths? 6. What has been the main cause of such migration ? 7. Has the migration been mainly : («) to other Rural Districts ? (ft) to Towns ? (c) to the Colonies ? {(l) to Foreign Countries '? 8. If there has been emigration to the Colonies or to Foreign Countries, state to which Country it has chiefly taken place, and what were the causes which led to its taking that direction ? i). Give any special instances of migration within your knowledge. 10. Any general observations. Signed A ddress , Date f f [( THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILU BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. Hm\ 26 l^^l MC rr - ■dHi^ <:-' j!,-. mt »• »~. *--►-. I If n.^ iD ^ .«)i. -^^K^ MS m-fii .-^^iW RECEIVED rE ci4t 9 ; MAY g '68 -3 AM ^^C-D LD LOAN Dr:PT- JAN 2*b4-lOp|^ jlM RECD LO APR 1 3Tr -D 21-100m-8,'34 ■ua ^'^''"Thu UNIVERSITY OP CALIFORNIA LIBRARY mmm^'m-mMm^^mm^