"The problem appears to have been accentuated," an official of the Farmers' Union stated, "by the policy of many authorities in preferring to condemn cottages instead of reconditioning them. The result, naturally, is to reduce the funds available for additional building. I any case, there is a definite shortage of the d of cottage which is wanted by the agricultural worker.
Mr. J. B. Gill, Secretary of the Essex Farmers' Union, emphasized that satisfactory housing was an es-^ential element in the problem. In spite of a rise in harvest labour rates of %d. an hour, farmers had to be reconciled to the fact that employees under public work schemes, including water and electricity. supplies, might expect higher rates of pay.
Local inquiries indicated that, among other districts, "the Seunthorpe steel works "were causing difficulty in Lincolnshire and that the establishment of aluminium works in the neighbourhood of Ba bury had increased the difficulty of "securing labour locally. "Considerable shortage is also being experienced by Norfolk farmers,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.