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 1
 
 AGRICULTURAL WAGES BOARD. 
 (ENGLAND AND WALES.) 
 
 REPORT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 COMMITTEE 
 
 ON 
 
 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE 
 
 I\ 
 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 Presented to both Houses of Pariisimcnl bv Command of His n^ujestv. 
 
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 AGRICULTURAL WAGES BOARD. 
 
 (ENGLAND AND WALES.) 
 
 REPORT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 COMMITTEE 
 
 ON 
 
 UiYEMPLOVMENT INSURANCE 
 AGRICULTURE. 
 
 1. The Committee was appointed by the Agricultural Wages 
 Board on December 2nd, 1920, with the following reference : — 
 
 To enquire into and report upon the extent to which the 
 Unemployment Insurance Act might be made applicable and 
 beneficial to agricultural workers. 
 
 The Committee was constituted as follows : — 
 Chairman — Sir Henry Rew, K.C.B. ; 
 Representatives of Employers — Messrs. G. G. Rea, C.B.E., 
 
 and T. H. Ryland ; 
 Representatives of Workers — Messrs. George Dallas and 
 
 W. R. Smith; M.P. 
 
 2. Tlie Committee have held three meetings and have carefully 
 considered the evidence which was laid before them. It was 
 not considered necessary or advisable to invite the attendance of 
 witnesses, partly on the ground of expense and partly because 
 evidence of a general character was considered more useful than 
 •evidence by individuals as to localities which might not be pro- 
 perly representative of the condition of the whole country. 
 
 3. The main evidence before the Committee was derived from 
 four sources, (a) reports from the members of District Wages 
 Committees, (b) reports supplied from the Employment Ex- 
 changes by the Ministry of Labour, (c) returns supplied by the 
 National Union of Agricultural Workers, and id) returns supplied 
 by the National Farmers' Union. Memoranda have also been 
 laid before us on the subject of the fluctuations of employment 
 in agriculture during the war ; on schemes for dealing with agri- 
 cultural unemployment abroad ; and on the main points which 
 would require consideration and settlement in the drafting of a 
 special scheme under the Unemployment Insurance Act. These 
 Memoranda are given in the Appendices I-III. 
 
 (33182) Wt.4n2-702 15O0 >t 90 6/21 H.St. G. 36
 
 4. The terms of the reference did not appear to contemplate 
 the consideration of any method of dealing with unemployment 
 in agriculture other than by insurance under the Unemployment 
 Insurance Act, but the Committee considered that proposals for 
 a purely voluntary scheme outside the Act should not be excluded. 
 There are three methods by which insurance against unemploy- 
 ment may be possible : (1) by the inclusion of the industry of 
 agriculture in the general scheme provided by the Unemployment 
 Insurance Act, 1920, (2) by the adoption of a special scheme for 
 agriculture under Section 18 of the Act, or (3) by a purely 
 voluntary scheme outside the Act. Before either of these 
 methods could be adopted certain preliminaries are necessary. 
 
 5. By virtue of paragraph " a " in Part II. of the First Sche- 
 dule to the Act of 1920 employment in agriculture, including 
 horticulture and forestry, is excepted from the scope of the insur- 
 ance scheme, and neither employers nor workers in that industry 
 are liable to pay the contributions required of employers and 
 workers in almost every other industry. But by Section 4 " The 
 Minister (of Labour) may, with the approval of the Treasury 
 by order provide for including among the persons employed with- 
 in the meaning of this Act any persons engaged in any of the 
 excepted employments specified in Part II. of the First Schedule 
 to this Act, in any class or description of the persons so engaged, 
 either unconditionally or subject to such conditions as may be 
 specified in the Order. Before any such Order is made a draft 
 thereof shall be laid before each House of Parliament for a period 
 of not less than twenty days during which the House is sitting, 
 and if either House, before the expiration of that period, present 
 an address to His Majesty against the draft or any part thereof, 
 no further proceedings shall be taken thereon, but without pre- 
 judice to the making of any new draft order." No definition is 
 given in the Act of the words agriculture, horticulture or forestry, 
 but Section 10 provides that " if any question arises as to whether 
 any employment or any class of employment is or will be employ- 
 ment within the meaning of this Act, or whether a person is or 
 was an employed person w^ithin the meaning of this Act, the 
 question shall be decided by the Minister (of Labour) provided 
 that (i) any person aggrieved by the decision of the Minister on 
 any such question may appeal from that decision to the High 
 Court, (ii) the Minister may if he thinks fit instead of himself 
 deciding any such question refer the question for decision to the 
 high Court. The Minister may, on new facts being brought to 
 his notice revise any decision given by him under this Section, 
 other than a decision against which an appeal is pending or as 
 respects which the time for appealing has not expired, and an 
 appeal shall be against any such revised decision in the same 
 manner as against an original decision." It appears, therefore, 
 that while the powers of the Ministry in deciding whether any 
 particular person or class of persons is or is not insurable under 
 the Act are confined to a judgment on the facts, and there is no
 
 means by which a person or class of persons may secure inclusion 
 under the Act of their own motion, the ^Minister has power — with 
 Treasury sanction — and subject to an adverse vote of either House 
 of Parliament, to bring all persons engaged in agriculture or any 
 class of persons so engaged within the scope of the Act. It would 
 aj)pear to follow from this that a particular class of agricultural 
 workers, such as shepherds, market gardeners or foresters, could 
 be brought under the genei'al scheme of the Act to the exclusion 
 of other persons engaged in the industry. 
 
 6. The arrangements for the ad()j)tion of a special scheme under 
 the Act are set out in Section is, the main provisions of which are 
 as follows : "If it appears to the Minister that insurance against 
 unemployment in any industry can be more satisfactorily provided 
 for by a scheme under this Section than by the general provisions 
 of this Act, the Minister may, subject to the provisions of this 
 Section, approve or make such a scheme, and any such scheme is 
 in this Act referred to as " a special scheme." The Minister may 
 by special order approve for the purposes of this Section, and 
 whether with or without amendment, any scheme which is made 
 in respect of any industry by a joint industrial council or an 
 association of employers and employees, and which provides for 
 the insurance against unemployment of all the employed persons 
 in the industry or all those persons other than any specified 
 classes thereof, and the benefits under which are, in the opinion 
 of the Minister, not less favourable on the w^hole than the benefits 
 provided by this Act." Provision may be made by a special 
 scheme for insuring persons to whom the scheme applies against 
 partial as well as complete unemployment. For the purposes of 
 this Section the expression " industry " means any class or classes 
 of establishments or undertakings in any area which the Minister 
 may determine to be an industry for that purpose, and the expres- 
 sion " association of employers and employees " means an asso- 
 ciation so constituted that the members of the association who are 
 employers consist of persons emplojdng a substantial majority of 
 the employees in the industry, and the members who are em- 
 ployees consist of persons representing a substantial majority of 
 the employees in the industry." From this it would appear that 
 a special scheme can only be approved if the industry for which 
 such a scheme is desired is already included under the general 
 provisions of the Act, and that if a special scheme is desired for 
 agriculture it \Aould be necessary to secure the issue of an Order 
 such as is descrii)ed in paragra])h 5 of this Peport, with the under- 
 standing that it should at once be overridden by the adoption of 
 a special scheme. Furthermore, such a special scheme can only 
 be put forward by a joint industrial council or by an association 
 of employers and employees icjiresenting a substantial majority 
 of the employers and workers in the industry. It is possible that 
 the Agricultural Wages Board might be recognised for the [uir- 
 poses of this Section as an association of employers and 
 employees, but it is clear that af)prova] could not be obtained for
 
 6 
 
 a special scheme without the consent and co-operation of both 
 employers and workers, and the concurrence of the Ministry of 
 Labour. Finally, though arrangements might be made for ex- 
 cluding certain areas where special conditions prevail, it would 
 be an essential part of any such scheme that all the persons 
 engaged in the industry as defined by the Minister of Labour 
 should be included. No scheme could be approved which provided 
 for the insurance of a highly paid class to the exclusion of those 
 in receipt of lower wages or for the inclusion of those regularly 
 employed to the exclusion of the casual labourers. The privileges 
 of a special scheme must be offered to all or none. 
 
 7. The advantages of a voluntary scheme are that it is free 
 from the conditions imposed by the Act. It would be possible 
 to formulate a plan applicable to any part of the country, or to 
 any section of the industry. Under the conditions which prevail 
 in the north of England one scheme might be adopted while 
 another might be adopted elsewhere. An insurance fund might 
 be started for shepherds only, or for horticultural workers or 
 motor ploughmen. Contributions might be fixed to meet the 
 probable rate of unemployment in each class, and the manage- 
 ment and control of the funds would be entirely in the hands of 
 the contributors. The disadvantages are that there would be no 
 Government aid, which in the case of those persons under the 
 general provisions of the Act, amounts to one-third of the com- 
 bined contributions of employers and workers, that is to say, 
 twopence per week for men and 1'6 of a penny for women, or, 
 under a special scheme, 0'6 of a penny — a trifle more than a 
 halfpenny — for men and one halfpenny for women. In any case 
 it is clear that the general consent of both employers and workers 
 would be necessary to secure the adoption and successful working 
 of any voluntary scheme, as it would in the case of a special 
 scheme under the Act. 
 
 8. Under these circumstances it seemed to the Committee that 
 their course of enquiry must necessarily follow two lines, the first 
 leading to the investigation of the incidence and nature of unem- 
 ployment, and the second to the views of all persons concerned 
 in the industry as to the desirabihty of inclusion in some scheme 
 of insurance. Of these two the second is clearly the more im- 
 portant. Unless there is a general agreement on both sides no 
 special scheme can be considered by the Ministry of Labour, and 
 equally no independent scheme can be formulated or become 
 operative. But it appears evident that the willingness or unwill- 
 ingness to come to an agreement is dependent upon the nature 
 and frequency of unemployment. 
 
 The employers' representatives on the Committee have ex- 
 pressed their opinion that there is no prospect that the members 
 of the National Farmers' Union vdll support any scheme for 
 insurance unless it can be shewn that the incidence of unem- 
 ployment is serious or at least likely to become so. It was 
 necessary, therefore, to take such steps as were possible to 
 estimate the nature and extent of unemployment in agriculture.
 
 9. No attempt was made to examine at length the history 
 of Agricultural unemployment. It is notorious that in the past, 
 farm workers frequently suifered severe hardship from this cause, 
 which was often accentuated by reason of the low wages com- 
 monly paid to men in work and their inability to lay by any 
 savings sufficient to tide them over such emergencies. The 
 causes which led to this state of affairs are fairly obvious. The 
 country is the great breeding place for mankind, and till quite 
 recently when town life has been influenced by improved sanita- 
 tion, better means of transport and a higher standard of life, it 
 was in the country districts that population increased. As long 
 as additional land could be put under cultivation, part at least 
 of this increase could be and was absorbed in agriculture, but 
 when this development ceased and agriculture could no longe'- 
 profitably employ more workers, migration to the towns or other 
 forms of industry becomes the only resources for the surplus 
 population. The immense growth of industrial enterprise in 
 certain periods of the nineteenth century drew off large numbers 
 of agricultural workers, but whenever this growth was checked 
 the effect was felt in the rural areas. 
 
 During the latter part of the nineteenth century the long de- 
 pression in agriculture led to changes in the methods of farming, 
 which with the extensive introduction of machinery brought 
 about a great decrease in the number of men employed on farms. 
 But with this decrease came greater stability, for the fewer 
 the men employed the more tKey are essential to the conduct of 
 the farm, and there seems no doubt that in most districts the 
 large majority of farm workers are in constant employment year 
 after year. 
 
 10. The European War seems to have accelerated and in- 
 tensified this movement. At the outbreak of hostilities large 
 numbers of agricultural workers joined the Army, others left for 
 munition works, coal mines, and other forms of industry which 
 were clamouring for labour, and offering higher wages than 
 those gained in agriculture. At a later stage conscription made 
 iurther drafts on the reduced numbers, and during the years 
 1916, 1917 and 1916 no able-bodied man or woman who desired 
 work on the land failed to find it. All kinds of substitute labour 
 were employed, moat of which was discarded as soon as possible 
 after the army was demobilised. But when all was over and 
 acrricultural workers were released from militarv service it was 
 estimated that there were about a hundred thousand fewer men 
 employed in agriculture in England and Wales than in 1914. 
 
 11. During the whole of the period of the War, however, it 
 appears from the evidence supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture 
 and Fisheries in a memorandum based on quarterly returns 
 supplied by a large number of farmers, the number of men and 
 women, employed both regularly and casually, varied according 
 to season. The maximum was reached, as might be expected 
 in July, the number sank by Octoi^er and was lowest in 
 January, rising again somewhat in April. The actual
 
 8 
 
 variations in tlie number employed on the farm were masked 
 by the employment of sokliere, German prisoners and relatives 
 of farmers, but it is quite clear that during that period farmers 
 not only discharged men and women when they no longer required 
 them — but were able to take them or others like them on 
 again as required in the spring and summer. As it is incon- 
 ceivable that there was any large surplus population in those 
 ^•ears who were out of work, the inevitable conclusion is that 
 there is a certain class of workers who favour the pursuit of 
 agriculture during the summer and some other occupation during 
 the winter. It is impossible to suppose that these people support 
 themselves for twelve months on the wages earned in agriculture 
 during six. 
 
 12. The exact number of the workers thus atfected cannot be 
 stated, nor can any indication be given as to the nature of the 
 ■other occupations followed in the winter. But from various 
 mdications it is computed that the number amounts to about 
 5 per cent, of the maximum number employed in the summer. 
 If this can be relied upon, it supplies a clue to some of the 
 <;onfiicting evidence laid before the Committee. There is always 
 a tendency on the part of employer correspondents to assume 
 that discharges of farm workers must mean unemployment for 
 the workers dismissed. They are not always in a position to 
 say definitely that the men have not succeeded in getting work 
 elsewhere. In the event of this taking place it is clear that the 
 men are not unemployed, even though the new engagement may 
 be of a temporary character and may cease about the time that 
 the farmer is ready to take on fresh workers for sjiring and 
 summer duties. 
 
 13. There is another source of error which must also be avoided. 
 During the War, as is well known, large numbers of agricultural 
 workers left the countryside to seek employment in the towns. 
 The usual exodus, which has been going on for many years, 
 and is common to almost every country was accentuated beyond 
 all previous experience. As long as the War industries were 
 prosperous there was work for all, but when the depression in 
 trade began, many men were discharged and failing to find 
 engagements in the towns attempted to find employment in 
 agriculture. Many of those who sought work on the farms had 
 no previous experience in agriculture, and were in consequence 
 unacceptable. But as they attended the hiring fairs or sought 
 w^ork in public their failure to obtain employment attracted 
 attention and was duly reported in the public press, with the 
 result that the impression has been created that many genuine 
 agricultural workers have been unable to secure employment. 
 Eeports .as to the number of men who failed to get taken on 
 at the hiring fairs cannot therefore invariably be accepted as 
 evidence of agricultural unemployment. If these considerations, 
 however, are borne in mind, it is possible to get at some estimate 
 of the incidence of agricultural unemployment from the returns 
 wliich have been received.
 
 9 
 
 14. The iSiatiuual i^'anucrs' IJiiiou sent a circuiar lelt' r to all 
 tlieir l-iiajicii Secretaries, putting the following questions : — 
 
 1. Is uiu'iiiployiuent ol bona fide iigi'iciiltiiriil wurkers in 
 
 your district in excess of the uonnai for this time 
 of year (December)? 
 
 2. If so, have discharges been made owing to any special 
 
 cause? 
 M. Approximate number of men permanently engaged in 
 
 agriculture out (jf employment January, l'J20 — 
 
 January, 19*21. 
 4. Approximate number of men casually engaged in 
 
 agriculture out of employment January, 1920 — 
 
 January, 1921. 
 ;-). .\ny particular district where there is an increase of 
 
 unemployment. 
 The number of replies was not very great, only 26 counties 
 furnishing information ; in the Holland Division of Lincolnshire, 
 Sutfolk, the East Hiding and Merionethshire the replies to the 
 first question were in the affirmative. In Berkshire, Derbyshire, 
 Devonshire, Durham, (lloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, 
 Leicestershiie, fjincoln, Kesteven and Jjindsey, Middlesex, 
 Monmouthshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, the Soke of Peter- 
 boro', Somerset, Staffordshire, Sussex East, Warwickshire, York- 
 shire (West Riding), Brecon and Radnor, Cardigan and Carnar- 
 vonshire the answer was in the negative. In two counties 
 seasonal unemployment was said to be less than a year ago, 
 and in three cases tliere is a complaint that sufficient labour 
 cannot be obtained. Even where unemployment was said to 
 exist it is ascribpd to the forward state of farm work owing to 
 the open weather. In Lincoln (Holland) " discharges are due 
 to the fact that there is no market for potatoes, and riddhng 
 is suspended." In Suffolk it is said that " the standard of fann- 
 ing is just as high in the districts where unemployment prevails 
 as where everyone is employed, so tliat it appears that the usual 
 population in some parishes is in excess of requirements of 
 farmers." Where discharges have taken place it is generally 
 said that the old and the inefficient men are those who fanncjt 
 get work. 
 
 15. The National Union of Agricultural Workers had been 
 engaged on compiling a return of unemployment l)efore the 
 ajipointmenl of this Committee, and their figuies refer to a 
 slightly earlier j)eriod than the reports of the National Earmers' 
 Cnion. They showed, however, that the extent of unemployment 
 was small. Replies were leceived from only one-third of the 
 Branch Secretaries to whom the circular was sent, but it is a 
 lair deduction that if unemployment was a serious (piestion in 
 those places from which no reply has been sent, the T^nion would 
 have been infonned. Only four counties reported more than 
 a hundred men out of work, and only one (Norfolk with 404 > 
 more than two hundred. It is noticeable that the counties from 
 which iiniMnpJovinent was reported were nol the same as those 
 
 33182 A -I
 
 10 
 
 in which the conospundeiits ot the National Farmerti' UiiioD 
 believe it exists. 
 
 16. The informatioji received from the members of the JJistrict 
 \Vage.s Committees was much greater and more complete than 
 either of those referred to above. A form of enquiry reproduced 
 in Appendix IV* was sent to each member of the Committees, 
 and the replies have been carefully compiled and summarised by 
 the staff of the Agricidtural Wages Board in the report attached 
 hereto. (Ap[)ejulix V.)* 
 
 The general coiiclusjons bear out the opinion that there is 
 little or no unemployment among skilled agricultural workers, 
 and that where it exists it is among the unskilled or the inefficient 
 workmen, and to that extent are in agreement with the reports 
 received from the National Farmers' Union and the National 
 Union of Agricultural Workers. But divergence appears as soon 
 as an attempt is made to state where any abnormal unemploy- 
 ment exists. As the summary states '^' In the majority of the 
 counties .unusual unemployment is reported from one or more 
 districts. These reports are in some cases in conflict with other 
 reports for the same district, and in other cases are the only 
 rejjort for a district, and so estimates given are not con- 
 firmed." It would appear, however, from these returns that 
 there was unusual unemployment in Cumberland, Westmorland, 
 the East and West Eidings, Herefordshire and Warwickshire, 
 Hampshire and Wiltshire, Berkshire, Anglesey, Carnarvonshire 
 and Merionethshire, a conclusion which with few exceptions is 
 not borne out by the reports from the Unions referred to. It 
 seems impossible to resist the assumption that the expression 
 unemployment is used in a different sense by different corre- 
 spondents. 
 
 17. By the good offices of the Ministry of Labour a series 
 of figures have been obtained from the Employment Exchanges 
 of England and Wales, a brief note on which is given in Appendix 
 VI. The Divisional Officers of the Exchanges also furnished 
 observations as to the causes and nature of unemployment in 
 agriculture within their districts based on certain questions sub- 
 mitted to them from the Ministry of Labour. The figures 
 supplied show the most remarkable result and appear to indicate 
 (hat there is less unemployment in 1921 than in the beginning 
 of 1920 while the reports of the Divisional Officers suggest that 
 it is increasing. The known fact, however, that few agricultural 
 workers register themselves at these Exchanges and that few 
 farmers avail themselves of their services when wanting additional 
 labour, makes a reliance on the figures unsatisfactory. It is also 
 suggested that the exclusion of agricultural workers from the 
 scope of the Unemployment Insurance Act has vitiated the value 
 of the returns. In any case there is no trustworthy evidence 
 that unemployment is moreprevalent in one county than another. 
 
 18. The general conclusion to be drawn from the evidence 
 available is that while there is no doubt very little lack of 
 
 • Not printed.
 
 11 
 
 employment among highl}' skilled and experienced agricultural 
 workers, it is inipossibje to say to what extent it prevails 
 among the less skilled men, or whether the undoubted reduction 
 in the number of workers on the land which has taken place 
 dining and since the War had led to the men who had been 
 discharged securing other permanent engagements or drifting into 
 the position of casual workers dependent on chance and irregular 
 employment for their living 
 
 19. While it is therefore impossible to say except in very 
 general terms, whether unemployment prevails in ;igriculture, 
 there is no doubt that the extent to which unemj)loyment is 
 feared must be indicative in some degree of its prevalence. 
 However confident the young may be of their own value and 
 their capacity for getting employment, however careless the} 
 may be as to the consequence of lack of work, it will hardly 
 be contended that the married labourer with a young family 
 will not regard the prospect of unemployment for a long period 
 with all its attendant miseries without fear and anxiety if it were 
 likely to occur Ihrough no fault of his own with common fre- 
 quency. This has been realised by Parliament in the Act pro- 
 viding unemployment benefit for all who have paid their necessav} 
 contributions From the scope of this Act, as is well-known, 
 agriculture has been excluded. But so far no large body of 
 agricultural workers has protested against exclusion while evi- 
 dence afforded by the returns made to the National Union of 
 Agricultural Workers shows that there is at least a large number 
 of labourers who do not desire to be included. These men are 
 to be found not only among the Northern Counties where yearly 
 and half-yearly hirings are common, but also in Norfolk and 
 Tjincolnshire where weekly engagements prevail, as well as in 
 other parts of England and Wales. No indication has been 
 afforded as to the reasons which have led to this expression 
 of opinion, but it may be taken as strong in-esnmptive evidence 
 that the dangers of unemployment do not present themselves as 
 imminent to those who hold these views. Under these circum- 
 stances, therefore, the Committee are of opinion ihat it would 
 not be desirable at the present time to press for the inclusion 
 of agriculture in the general provisions of the Unemployment 
 In.surance .'\ct, 1920. 
 
 20. The Committee have considered whether it would be pos- 
 sible to prepare a special scheme for agriculture under Section 18 
 of the Act. It is understood that it would be necessary to secure 
 the inclusion of agriculture under the Act in the first place in 
 order that it might be afterwards excluded by a special scheme, 
 and this would involve the necessity of ensuring in advance 
 that the special scheme would be acceptable and practicable. 
 Enquiries were therefore made from the Ministry of Labour as 
 to what conditions it woidd be necessary to fulfil before such a 
 scheme could meet with approval. It appears that it would be 
 requisite to submit actuarial calculations as to the rate of con- 
 triFutions and schemes for disposal of the funds, as well as for 
 providing for an employment register.
 
 12 
 
 21. Apart from the difficulty of framing a special scheme which 
 would be accepted by the Ministry of Labour, there appears at 
 present to be no likelihood of attaining the agreement between 
 employers and workers which is a condition precedent to any such 
 action. Nor is there any indication of an approach to an agree- 
 ment for establishing a voluntary scheme which would clearly 
 be impracticable unless it received the whole-hearted support of 
 the organisations on both sides, and the adherence of the great 
 majority of employers and workers throughout the country. 
 
 22. The Committee having so far examined the subject find that 
 they are unable to agree upon any recommendation to the Board 
 and recognise that without such agreement further progress is 
 impracticable. On the facts before them they conclude : — 
 
 1. That there is general opposition both by employers and 
 
 workers to the inclusion of agriculture under the 
 general provisions of the Unemployment Insurance 
 Act, 1920. 
 
 2. That there is no evidence that a special scheme for 
 
 agriculture under the Act would, or would not, be 
 acceptable to employers or workers, and that in any 
 case the information at present available as to the 
 incidence of unemployment in agriculture is in- 
 sufficient for the preparation of such a scheme. 
 
 3. That there is no evidence of such general agreement as 
 
 would be necessary for the consideration of a voluntary 
 scheme of insurance against unemployment outside 
 the Act, and independent of State aid. 
 
 R. Henry Rew. 
 
 G. G. Rba. 
 
 Thos. How.\ed Ryland. 
 
 W. R. Smith. 
 
 Geo. Dallas. 
 A. G. L. Rogers, 
 
 Secretary to the Committee. 
 
 12th April, 1921. 
 
 Reservation by Mr. D.allas. 
 
 I have signed the Report as I agree with it on the whole, but 
 with regard to paragraph 19 I wish to put on record that although 
 the Report is correct in saying that " no large body of agricultural 
 workers has protested against exclusion " from the Act, I believe 
 that in some districts of different counties there is an undoubted 
 desire to be so included. 
 
 Geo. Dallas.
 
 APPENDIX I. 
 
 Fli-ctuations or Kmployment in Agriculture during the War. 
 
 During the war an attempt was made by tlio Board of Trade to 
 collect figures relating to the employment of men in agriculture, and 
 subse<iuently similar returns were collected by the Board of Agriculture 
 till the end of 1919. The object in the first place was not to obtain 
 information respecting unemployment, for it is well known that during 
 the greater part of the war no person who wanted to work was in ne<jd 
 of it. The st-atistics were those of employment rather tlian of unemploy- 
 ment. Nevertheless the material collected may afford some useful informa- 
 tion on the question of the demand and supplj- of labour. 
 
 The estimated number of persons employed in England and Wales 
 in Agriculture in July, 1914, was 880,000 of whom 750,000 wore regularly 
 employed and 130,000 were casually employed. Of the 750,000 regularly 
 employed 693,000 were males, and 57,000 females, while of the 130,000 
 casuals 85,000 were males and 42,000 were females. The number of 
 persons classed as agriculturists who joined the Army is believed to 
 be about 400,000, of whom 300,000 came from England and Wales, but 
 as the number of males employed in agriculture never fell by that amount, 
 a certain number of males estimated at about 50,000 must have been 
 drawn into agriculture during the four years of hostilities. This can 
 probably be accounted for by the number of boys below the age of 14 
 iu 1914 who were engaged in agriculture before 1918. 
 
 The smallest number ever employed was in January, 1917, when 472,000 
 males Avere regularly employed and 29,000 were casually employed. After 
 this date the number slowly rose and at the date of the Armistice 
 489,000 males were regularly and 54,000 males were casually employed. 
 In addition there were about 73,000 soldiers who though not included 
 in these returns filled the place of regular workers. By January, 1920, 
 these soldiers had been demobilised and their places taken by civilian 
 woi'kers, probably in many cases the two classes being identical. There 
 are at present about 100,000 fewer men regularly employed in England 
 and Wales in agriculture than before the war. 
 
 It was estimated by the Board of Trade that before the war there 
 was a seasonal decline between July and January each year of about 
 5 per cent, in the number of males regularly employed, and it is remarkable 
 that this decline persisted during the war, except in 1915. It is even 
 more remarkable that the number of males regularly employed always 
 rose in the summer. Thus in July, 1916, there were 531,000 so employed, 
 and in January, 1917, 472,000, a drop of 59,000 or 8 per rent. In 
 July, 1917, the number was 500,000 an increase of 28,000 and in January, 
 1918. it was 494,000 a drop of 6,000. In July, 1918, the number was 
 50,000, a rise of 7,000 and in January, 1919, it was 485,000, a drop of 
 16,000. In the following July, 1919, the number was 569,000, a rise 
 of 84.000, or allowing for the replacement of soldiers by civilians 11,000 
 with a drop in January, 1920, to 550,000 or 19,000, that is to say rather 
 less than 4 per cent. 
 
 Now it is perfectly certain that in 1917 and in the early part of 1913, 
 no able-bodied male was out of work in the usually accepted sen.se. 
 So that it appears that there were some 6,000 or 7,000 who are usually 
 regularly employed in agriculture during the summer who are engaged 
 in other occupations during the winter. 
 
 The number of males casually employed in agriculture shewed the 
 followinp variations: — - 
 
 July, 1916 78,000 
 
 January, 1917 29,000 a drop of 49,000 
 
 July, 1917 69,000 a rise of 40.000 
 
 January, 1918 34,000 a drop of 35,000 
 
 July. 1918 53,000 a rise of 19,000 
 
 January, 1919 27,000 a drop of 26,000 
 
 July, 1919 61.000 a rise of 34,00' 
 
 January, 1920 41,000 a drop of 20,000
 
 14 
 
 60 that it would appear that thei'e are some 20,000 males who are accus- 
 tomed to find casual employment in agriculture in summer and some 
 other occupation in winter, for it is difficult to assume that these persons 
 make enough in summer to maintain themselves all the winter, or that 
 they habitually starve all tlirough the slack time in agriculture. 
 
 As the number of males regularly and casually employed in agriculture 
 in England and Wales is now about 600,000 it appears that of these 
 about 30,000 or 5 per cent, find some other occupation habitually in the 
 winter. 
 
 It is not possible to give an exact definition of regular and ca.sual 
 employment but probably the farmers who made the returns classed as 
 regularly employed all men engaged by the week or longer and as casually 
 employed all men whose wages are reckoned by the day and who are 
 liable to be discharged at a day's notice. 
 
 APPENDIX II. 
 
 Schemes for dealing with Agricultural Unemployment Abroad. 
 
 There seems to bo no doubt that up to 1914 there were no schemes 
 for compulsory insurance of workers against unemployment in any foreign 
 ■country. A publication of the German Government, dated 1913, was 
 shown me at the Ministry of Labour on the subject of unemployment 
 insurance, which specifically declared that there had been no schemes 
 for compulsory insurance anywhere except two : (1) the English law 
 of 1911, and (2) a scheme in St. Gall, Switzerland, which was unsuccessful 
 and collapsed. There were no schemes for dealing with unemployment 
 in Agriculture by contributions to voluntary associations. 
 
 Since tlie War several schemes have been put forward abroad. Nearly 
 al! take the form of Government contributions to voluntary insurance 
 funds, and so far as can be ascertained, no Agricultural Union has started 
 any sucli fund. One or two countries have now compulsory insurance 
 sciiemes fi'om which agriculture is expressly excluded, and in view of 
 the relative weakness of agricultural unions abroad to industrial unions 
 it seems almost certain that no provision has been made in these countries 
 for agriculture. A bill is believed to have been prepared in Germany 
 in which agriculture is to be included, but the text has not yet been seen. 
 
 The only country in which any law has been passed which provides 
 for the compulsory insurance of all workers is the Italian law, embodied 
 in the Royal Decree of 19th October, 1919. Art. 25 of this requires 
 all workers of either sex to insure in the State Scheme, the only excep- 
 tions being (1) persons under 15 or over 65, (2) persons working at 
 home or domestic servants, and (3) persons in the permanent employment 
 of the State, the Provinces or the Communes. It would appear, therefore, 
 that agriculture is included, but some doubt was expressed as to how 
 far this law is operative as in a country of small holders many of the 
 workers in agriculture are " working at home." 
 
 As far as the detail of the law go, it will be found that the scheme 
 is practically on all fours with the Unemplo.vment Insurance Act. In 
 fact, the English law might almost have been copied from the Italian. 
 Contributions are paid by employer and worker by means of stamps, 
 and a worker out of employment must register at a Labour Exchange. 
 No benefit can be drawn until the eighth day of unemployment, and 
 no pay can be draAvn after the 120th day in any calendar year. No 
 pay can be drawn until the worker has paid an equivalent of 48 contribu- 
 tions in the two preceding years. The total contributions, half of which 
 are paid by the employer, are as follows: —
 
 ]-) 
 
 Scale of Daily Earnings. 
 
 Amount of Contributions. 
 
 Fortnightly. Weekly. 
 
 Daily. 
 
 1. Not exceeding 4 lire 
 
 2. Above 4 but not exceeding 8 lire 
 
 3. Above 8 lire 
 
 0-70 
 1-40 
 
 2-l(J 
 
 0-35 
 0-7U 
 
 i-or> 
 
 0-06 
 0-12 
 ()18 
 
 The benefits are 
 Scale 1 
 
 „ 2 .. 
 „ 3 
 
 Daily. 
 
 1-25 
 
 2 -.50 
 3-75 
 
 In no case can the daily benefit exceed one lialf daily earnings. 
 Provision is made for Special Schemes as follows: — 
 
 Art. 28 " When (in consequence of special local conditions or risks, or 
 
 of otlier circumstances, the force of which is admitted) the Minister, 
 after consulting the Central Executive Council, may declare it obligatory 
 for certain classes of workers, in one or more provinces, to attach them- 
 selves to special Vocational Compulsory Insurance Funds, the same being 
 administered by representatives of the classes concerned and of the State 
 A Decree of the Minister shall establish model statutes for such compulsory 
 funds. 
 
 Similarly Special Vocational Sections of the Mixed Provincial Funds 
 may be sanctioned in Provinces in which the workers are predominantly 
 grouped according to clearly defined trades. 
 
 Such Vocational Sections shall be administered by the Provincial 
 Councils. 
 
 Art. 29 — Vocational Funds set up by organisations of skilled workpeople 
 or in pursuance of agreements between employers and employed to insure 
 against unemployment may be sanctioned in conformity with this present 
 Decree. 
 
 In order to obtain sanction such Vocational Funds must make an 
 application to the National Office, such application being accompanied 
 by a copy of their rules, a statement showing the number of persons 
 registered therewitli (arranged in classes), and (in the case of Funds 
 which have been already some time in operation), by balance sheets for 
 past financial year. 
 
 The rules must conform with tlie regulations laid down in the present 
 Law, and must declare that tiie Stat«, as well as the employers called 
 upon to contribute to the Unemployment Fund, siiall have equal repre- 
 sentation with the insured persons on the Board of Administration of 
 such Vocational Fund. 
 
 Sanction shall be conferred by a Municipal Decree after the Central 
 Executive Council and the Standing Committee of the Higher Council for 
 Thrift and Insurance have been consulted. 
 
 Sucli Vocational Funds must admit for registration even unorganised 
 workers who may demand it, provided that they belong to the industrial 
 group for which the Fund is operating." 
 
 In view of this fact that these Vocational Funds belong to organisations 
 of skilled workpeople, that th(>y have as a rule been in operation for 
 some time, and that the agricultural workers in Italy are more than half 
 the total working class population it does not appear likely that agriculture 
 has been or will be included in a special scheme.
 
 16 
 
 APPENDIX III. 
 
 The Main Points which would require Consideration and Settlement 
 ON the Drafting of a Special Scheme. 
 
 Enquiry was made in accordance with the instruction of the Committee 
 to ascertain the main points which would require consideration and 
 settlement on the drafting of a Special Scheme. Some difficulty was 
 experienced in getting the information from the Ministry of Labour 
 because (1) No application has yet been made for the approval of a 
 Special Scheme, and (2) The Ministry do not quite know by what criterion 
 any Special Scheme whicli might be proposed would be judged. 
 
 There are, however, certain conditions which would in any case have 
 to be fulfilled, though it is possible others might be added. 
 
 (1) The Special Scheme must include the industry as a whole. It 
 would be necessary, therefore, to define agriculture very carefully and 
 exactly since confusion might arise as regards certain classes of labour 
 if the contributions payable by agriculture were less than those payable 
 under the Act. 
 
 (2) A Special Scheme may be confined to a special area, but the Minister 
 must be satisfied that the area can properly be separated from the rest 
 of the industry. 
 
 (3) Before a Special Scheme can be approved the Minister must be 
 satisfied that insurance against unemployment can be more satisfactorily 
 provided for by such a Scheme than by the general Scheme under the 
 Act, and that the benefits under the Special Scheme are on the whole 
 not less favourable than the benefits provided under the general Scheme. 
 
 (4) Proposals for a Special Scheme must be made by a Joint Industrial 
 Council or an Association of Employers and Employed in the industry. 
 It is possible that the Agricultural Wages Board might be recognised 
 as such a body. 
 
 (5) A Special Scheme must provide for setting \ip an administrative 
 bod}' to be described as the Joint Board of Management. The method 
 of selecting and appointing the members of this body must be precisely 
 laid down. Among the functions of this Board will be thase of collecting 
 and safeguarding the funds, administering the benefits, approving in 
 advance periodical estimates of administrative expenditure, and generally 
 carrying out the provisions of the Scheme. 
 
 (6) Definite arrangements must be made for providing the necessary 
 funds by means of regular contributions fixed at an amount estimated 
 to be sufficient to cover the cost of benefits and administration without 
 requiring special levies in bad times. Powers to make special levies 
 should also be taken, but should be confined to cases where the estimated 
 liabilities are exceeded. 
 
 The Actuarial calculations of the Scheme are apparently the most 
 important consideration in the eyes of the Ministry of Labour. Any 
 proposal made in that quarter would have to be accompanied by a 
 profession calculation of the incidence of unemployment and the necessary 
 rate of contributions to cover it, and unless this is produced the Scheme 
 would be probably referred back. 
 
 (7) The Scheme must describe how the contributions are to be collected. 
 The system of cards and stamps is not obligatory. 
 
 (8) The Scheme must confer a definite right to benefit, subject to the 
 conditions laid down, and the precise amount payable in respect of 
 each day or period of unemployment should be defined. Any requirement 
 as to waiting days should be stated. Before approving a Scheme, the 
 Minister must be satisfied that the cost of providing the benefits proposed 
 would not exceed, on the average, taking good years and bad years 
 togethei-, the income of the fund set up by the Scheme. Sufficient data 
 for actuarial verification of the fulfilment of this condition must be 
 furnished wlien the Scheme is submitted.
 
 17 
 
 (9) A Special Scliome must provide for estahlisliinp and maintaininp; a 
 proper system for verifying unemployment, anrl for obtaining particulars 
 of vacancies and notifying them to persons claiming benefit. From this 
 it would appear that a system of Employment Kxchanges would have to 
 form an int<>gral part of any Special Scheme. 
 
 (10) Definite rules respecting disqualification for benefit in the event 
 of dismissal for misconduct or stoppage on account of a strike, for receiving 
 claims, for ascertaining that the prescribed conditions are fulfilled for 
 paying benefits must be included, . as well as appropriate machinery for 
 settling disputes with regard to claims. 
 
 (11) Proper provision must be made for the creation of a joint insurance 
 fund under the control of the Joint Board of Management, for investment 
 of the funds, for the necessary audit, valuation of securities and so forth. 
 
 (12) Finally, the Minister would require evidence that other persons 
 connected with the industry but not included in it, had been consulted 
 and their consent cont-ained, or other objections shown to be unimportant. 
 Such persons would in this connection be steam tackle drivers, and perhaps 
 serai-urban workers not actually included under agriculture, such aa 
 dairymen or florists. 
 
 [APPENDICES IV and V are omitted.] 
 
 APPENDIX VI. 
 
 Reports from Employment Exchanges. 
 
 The reports supplied by the Ministry of Labour included comparative 
 returns extracted from the books of the Employment Exchanges of farm 
 workers registered as unemployed, and of the number of vacancies notified 
 by farmers in January, 1920, and Januaiy, 1921, and at tliroe intermediate 
 quarterly periods. 
 
 The following is a summary of these returns for the whole of England 
 and Wales, the totals being made up on the 9th of each month. 
 
 Workers registered. 
 
 Vacancies notified. 
 
 Males. Eemales.l Total. I Males. Females. Total. 
 
 1920. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 January 
 
 7,204 
 
 102 
 
 7,306 
 
 .321 
 
 54 
 
 375 
 
 April 
 
 4,695 
 
 110 
 
 4,80.5 
 
 421 
 
 68 
 
 489 
 
 July 
 
 2,.594 
 
 109 
 
 2,703 
 
 434 
 
 99 
 
 533 
 
 October 
 
 1,891 
 
 79 
 
 1,970 
 
 347 
 
 30 
 
 377 
 
 1921. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 January 
 
 3,081 
 
 113 
 
 3,194 
 
 169 
 
 13 
 
 182 
 
 These figures are surprising as they indicate that the extent of unemploy- 
 ment in agriculture, whether measured by the number of workers registered 
 or the number of places notified as vacant, was 50 per cent, less in the 
 winter of 1920-21 than in that of 1919-20. It is recognised that the 
 number of workers registered or of vacancies certified bears no relation 
 to, and is far smaller than the actual number of men seeking work 
 or of employers requiring men, but in the absence of disturbing factors 
 it might be assiimed that a comparison of the figures for different dates 
 would afford some measure of the relative amount of unemployment at 
 one period and another. It is evident, however, that any inferences 
 drawn from a comparison of these returns would be misleading. It is 

 
 18 
 
 possible that the number of farm workers registered in January, 1920, 
 was aflFected by the fact that the Unemployment Donation had only just 
 ceased and tliat unemployed workers were keeping their names on the 
 register in expectation of the continuance of the Donation, whereas 
 in January, 1921, the number of persons describing themselves as farm 
 workers was reduced by reason of a belief that by so describing themselves 
 they would be disqualified for receiving benefit under the new Unemploy- 
 ment Insurance Act. 
 
 It may be noted tiiat the male farm workers registered at the Exchanges 
 as unemployed in January, 1920, rejiresented about 1-5 per cent, of 
 the total male agricultural workers in England and Wales, and that 
 the corresponding percentage in January, 1921, was 0-64, but in neither 
 case can this be taken as any measure of the extent of agricultural 
 unemployment at these dates. 
 
 As regards the number of vacancies notified by farmers, it will be 
 observed that the total fell from 375 in January, 1920, to 182 in January, 
 1921. While it is evident that only very limited use is made of the 
 Employment Exchanges by farmers at any time, it is difficult to suggest 
 a reason for a greater disinclination to use them in January, 1921, than 
 a year previously. If the figures have any significance they can only 
 be regarded as affording evidence of a slightly increased disinclination 
 among employers to fill the place of men who had left their employment, 
 possibly in consequence of a change in the system of farming. For 
 what it may be worth it may be noted that the average number of 
 applicants registered for each vacancy notified at the various periods 
 was as follows : — 
 
 
 Jan., 
 -1920. 
 
 April, 
 1920. 
 
 July, 
 
 1920. 
 
 Oct., 
 1920. 
 
 Jan., 
 1921. 
 
 Males 
 
 Females 
 
 22 
 2 
 
 • 
 11 
 1-6 
 
 u 
 
 5 
 2-G 
 
 18 
 9 
 
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