The decrease was driven by cuts to unskilled labourers and non-university students who would have gone to dubious colleges, he said.

Increasing mechanisation has meant the number of unskilled labourers has dwindled as they are replaced by skilled staff.

For hedging, ditching and other arduous tasks unskilled labourers were hired at tenpence a day.

The pay of agricultural workers and unskilled labourers had outstripped that of the police.

There was also a group of unskilled labourers who worked wherever there was a need.