Farmers Relieved

1926: Under the headline 'Farm Insurance - Peterborough Farmers Pleased', the 10 December issue of the Stamford Mercury harked back to the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Peterborough and District County Branch of the National Farmers Union the previous week. Whilst for city dwellers the story may have appeared to be trivial, for the agricultural farmers and their employees, it had significant reassurances. The union members were reminded that they came within the provision of the Milk and Dairies Order if they only sold milk to farm workers and their families - a perk that workers enjoyed - and also if they produced butter. The Chairman, Mr F.W. Griffin, said that they would all be pleased at the announcement of the government, in which it was definitely decided not to adopt the recommendations of the majority report of the Interdepartmental Committees on agricultural unemployment insurance. The opinion of the meeting was expressed that agriculture had more than enough difficulties thrown upon it in recent times, and that the arrangements made within the industry to deal with slack periods worked so satisfactorily that it would not have been advantageous to have imposed yet another burden on the employers and workers.

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.