DRIFT FROM THE LAND

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 264, 5 August 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

DRIFT FROM THE LAND

Need To Make Farming More Attractive To Youth

Ten country-bred young men ami women, the majority barely out m their ’teens, gave, at St. .Margarets Hall. Oxford, the reasons why youth is nowadays reluctant to stay in the farming industry. They described the measures which, in their opinion, should be taken to make farming life more attractive lor the rising generation, reports the London "Daijy Telegraph.”

Professor W. G. S. Adams, chairman of the National Council of Social Service, who presided at the Hural Conference which these young folk had addressed, summed up in a phrase the deep impression made on the conference when he said: "Age must go away silent now to think over the wise messages which youth has given to us today.”

Outstanding in these messages from young people was a condemnation of the present educational system, which seemed to them to have been designed to lead them away from the countryside to the towns.

Miss Primrose, an assistant librarian in Oxfordshire’s County Library, said that for seven years she attended a secondary school, and of all the girls who came to it in that time not one went back to her native village to takeup agricultural or domestic work. A youth now working in a mill. Harry Jones, disclosed that his reason for leaving the land was the futility and boredom which assail the village lad when his schooling is at an end and there seems no opportunity or ambition for him in farm work. lie suggested that landowners still able to" reside in the countryside should do their utmost to revive the old spirit in the villages, and that townsmen should use more imagination when dealing with country problems. Three speakers paid tribute to the Young Farmers’ Club movement, its value in educating youth and en couraging its interest in farm work in all its branches and more especially in scientific developments and mechanization on the land.

Two speakers, one a student leader from the physical training section of Loughborough College, (he other a

young man from Bicester Boys' Club, described how in different ways the life of village boys can be made Imp pier ami less feckless. Apart from education, youth’s complaint against the rural life was its iong hours and Jowly social status, tile poor wage and the lack of prospects, (lie lack of interests Io employ leisure hours, the jeers of lads who go into town employment to earn witli less effort double what they receive for farm work. A farmer, .Mr. W. A. Kogers, ot Manor Farm. Bletehington. the one person above 25 years ol age to speak, confirmed almost entirely the views ot the younger generation.

■For lite past seven years I have not been able to keep a boy on my farm. 1 had one keen youngster. He left because bis old schoolfellows working in the towns were laughing at him."

The drift to the towns, in Mr. Rogers's view, could lie arrested if capital could be brought hack into the countryside.

A veteran of the fa rm-workers' imwcment, Mr. George Dallas, gave what, was in effect a summary of conclusions formed at one of the most, interesting conferences held as yet on the problems of rural England in changing limes. He pointed out that in the past decade the drift from the land had been more serious than ever before, with the particular feature that nearly a third of the loss was in juvenile labour. If shrinkage proceeded at this rate, in another 10 years there would be no young people on the land.

The main difficulties to be overcome, in Mr. Dallis's view, were low wages, poor housing, lack of water supplyloneliness of many wives in remote districts, difficulty of getting children to school from outlying cottages, more especially as traffic dangers have increased so vastly.

One of bis main solutions was a community centre for every village where such activities as the women's a’ld men's institutes, sports clubs ami other social activities could be united under one roof.