In this newspaper lithograph, farm labourers are shown meeting in a Northamptonshire village square in 1872. As farm wages fell in real terms, labourers in parts of England began to organise to defend their rights, and rural unions emerged. At some of these meetings the idea of migrating to New Zealand was raised. New Zealand was presented as an attractive option for rural workers since it was believed that there migrants could quickly become small farmers on freehold land.
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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference:
Graphic. 30 December 1872.
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