The wood-cutters work in companies of six or eight, under the eye of an overlooker, who has frequently been a workman himself, and so practically understands the setting out of the work and its management. These overlookers are answerable to the inspectors, of whom there are eight; they in their turn are subject to the Deputy-Surveyor of the Forest, who resides at the Queen's House in Lyndhurst.
The labour is very severe, and the men often have to walk some miles to their work. "Their average wages are twelve shillings a week, and even if they work by the piece, they are not expected to earn more. Cutting and peeling the oak is paid by the piece, stacking up the wood by the fathom, faggotting by the hundred. The work, however, only employs a limited number of men, and these not entirely; so that there are many other occupations pursued by the foresters.
Some of course find enough to do tending their cattle, ponies, and pigs. Others, who go by the name of "broom-squires," makes brooms from the heath, and sell them in the neighbouring towns; some purchase wood, which they hawk for firing; while the very poorest use their right to collect the dead sticks in the Forest, make them into bundles, and sell them as "Match" or "Farthing faggots."
In these various ways a labourer in the New Forest may make, upon an average, fourteen or fifteen shillings a week all the year round. Such an estimate, however, implies intelligence; but since we know this is not a gift possessed by the majority of any community, we may judge that life here is not quite so easy as such a sum might lead an economist to expect.
There is a class of small farmers in the Forest, such as have elsewhere sunk into the condition of labourers, but whose position is V here maintained by the benefits accruing from Forest privileges. Some farm as few as five acres, for which they pay a rental of about £12 the year, and do all the work themselves, with the assistance of their wives and children. As they are obliged to keep a couple of horses, they use them when unemployed in doing job-work. They keep one or two cows and a number of fowls, and once a week the farmer's wife carries the produce of their little farm to the nearest market-town for sale.
