§ 44. Mr. RILEYasked the Minister of Agriculture if he can state the comparative figures of the average rent per acre of arable land in England and Wales in 1871, 1891, and 1921; the total number of agricultural labourers; and the number of labourers employed on the land per 100 acres in the respective years?
§ Sir R. SANDERSAs the reply is somewhat lengthy, and includes a number of figures, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ I am unable to give comparative figures of the rent, either of agricultural land as a whole or of arable land taken separately. The total number of agricul- 2360 tural labourers of all classes, male and female, in England and Wales, as ascertained at the decennial census in 1871, was 1,074,029, and in 1991 was 866,199. These figures include relatives assisting on the farm, farm bailiffs, foremen, and shepherds, as well as ordinary agricultural labourers. The number of labourers per 100 acres of agricultural land under crops or permanent grass was 4.1 in 1871 and 3.1 in 1891. The figures for the census of 1921 have not yet been published, but information collected with the annual Agricultural Returns in 1921 shows that the total number of regular and casual labourers employed on agricultural holdings on 4th June, 1921, was 869,183, or 3.3 per 100 acres of agricultural land under crops or permanent grass. These figures, however, are not strictly comparable with those obtained at the decennial census.