THE FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12974, 29 November 1907, Page 8

THE FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

+ HKFORK THE CONCILIATION UOAKD. SITTIXC AT LEESTOX. The Conciliation Board h< , ! , ! a .sitting at ]/<>estou yesterday to hear further evidence in tlio tarm labourers" dispute. Edward Sr>llit, Dunsandel, general farm hand, said that ho had worked at threshing on the. contract system, the prices varying from 10s to 12s per 1000 bushels. Tii« hour system, in his opinion, would bo better for the men, as they had so much broken time, end lost time when ehifting. The contract system had a tendency to create long hours, and the men had sometimes to work in the dark. A man would average about ">OOO a week, and eiirn from L' 2 10s to JL'2 I'ja. The men had to work pretty hard; there was no easy job on .a" threshing machine. A few years ago there were always three men acting as bagmen, but latterly two bagmen only were put on at increased pay. The increase did not cover the hill wages of the third num. Witness uns working an a day labourer, and was getting lie a day, at very casual employment. Ho had a wile and four children to keep, and found it hard to tnnkn both ends meet. Under present conditions Ls an hour was not an exorbitant rate- to As a stacker he had been paid Is 'M jut hour and found; ho had had Is (Id, which he considered a fair wage for a competent stacker. He considered the hours proposed by the- Union wore quite practicable.

To Mr Kennedy: He owned 40 aorrs of land, and worked it on the cooperative system with his neighbours. To Mr Jones: He got £1 a week out of his farm". He paid Is an hour ami found for labour. The threshing machines in the Dunsundel district worked sometimes after dark. His earnings averaged a'mut IBs per week. Tin-re were 41 members of the Union in and about Loos ton. He believed in preference*, .although he knew that old men would have to get a permit to work.

Alfred -Amor, vice-president of the local branch of tho Union, said that ht» had had a long experience as a ploughman. He. considered that a boy of 16. who had to work more than two horses, was worth 17s Cd per week. "Witness was being paid 30s a week, and ho had to find himself. Ills employer gave him a free house. Ho was a married man with throe children. Ho considered that a driver had more renponsibility and more work with a five-horso team than with a four-horse tenm. He had not saved any money during the_ last twelve months —he had boon working at a loss. He augmented his earnings by keeping a garden, pigs, ami poultry, and lie was allowed to graze a cow (equal to Is per week). Ho valued liis house at 6s a week. The hours asked by the Union —6 a.m. to 8 p.m.—wore quite practicable. On wet days, when he could not go out with tho teams, there were plenty of other jobs to do —there was no loafing on a farm. The cost of living had increased considerably of late, years. In hie opinion there was very general dissatisfaction in the district among the farm labourers. Every alternate Sunday witness did work in connection with tho horses for his employer. Holidays were not general; he had been asked to take Show Day. Ho tools two holidays last year. Ho considered that the Union's holiday proposals would involve no inconvenience to employers, if they were made general. It was not a_ general thing for farmers in tho district to employ swaggers. Undor the contract system there- wee a tendency to work Jong hours, and tinder competition prices would be severely out. He know two men who took a contract to split firewood at 6s 6d a cord, and only made 21ft a week, working long hours. TJiov had asked for 7e a cord, which the employer refused to give. There had been a groat improvement in farm implements, and work was being done more cheaply by them. Tho prices of implements had also been- reduced. To Mr Kennedy: Ho know mon who were working for 5s per day, and one who got 10s a week and found. Ono mnn got 2s a day. To Mr Jones: He had to buy his potatoes From the .farmers at current rates. The teams in tho district did not lose much, time owing to <wet -weather. A teamster could get a week off in November and May without jOaiwing inconvenience; there need not be the slightest difficulty. Hβ believed in preference to Unionists. If an employer wanted a man for a day, and a non-unionist -was tho only man present, tho employer should sco that tho mnn joined tho Union. A noTt-Unionist had no right to tnke -the bread and butter out of the mouths of the mon who had fought for the improved conditions. He had no objection to a man contracting for ploughing if ho had a team of his own, as long as he paid his employoo Union rates. He objected to the letting of contracts for gorsecutting, as it was a sweating system. To 'Mr Evans: The farmers had stopped selling mutton to their employees at oheap rates on account of tho increased price of sheep. It was not on account of tho agitation among the farm hands or the insulting references made to farmers by some Unionists. He was peifectly certain that tho farmers could afford to pay the employees for their month's holiday. He thought that a farmer should pay his sons; if Tio could not pay for work done, it should not be done. Ho did not think that the Union's domand in this reepoct would break up a farmer's home. He considered that milking could be done on a farm within the hours fixed by tho Union •without any danger to tho cows. His cow was milked at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

To Mr Acland: Ho did not think that a man should be allowed to choose between the contract and hour systems; tho contract system, under existing conditions, should be abolished.

To Mr Thorn: The members of tho Union in the district were just as good workmen as those labourers who were outside tho Union. I>uring harvest time he worked extra hours, and got a bonus of £o. Hβ did not consider this an adequate return for the extra time. This was ono reason for asking for holidays on pay. To Mr .Tones: He would be surprised to hear that tho man who got Is an hour through the harvest got lesa than b> did. To Mr Shoat: the man who cot 2s a day was physically unfit, ami the man who got loVper week was '•simple." To Mr Broadhead: Ho would compel every man to join the Union, as the Union raised tho standard or wages. He did not know that there hat) been complaints about the way in which the employment books were kept.

J. D. McCallum, ploughman, Southhridge, said that he was -working four liorses. and was paid 25s per wetfk. The accommodation and food were very good. Ho got a bonus of from tCo to £7 for extra work done during tho harvest. Ho considered that 2os was sufficient for himself, but 27s 6d would be a good wage, for a competent ploughman. He got holidays whenover he wanted them, on full pay. He considered .May a had month for a week's holiday; it should be left to tho farmer to say ■when the holiday should bo given, as any time would suit the men. To Mr Jones: He was quite satisfied ■with TiTs present position. He had not found masters «nreasona-blei about hours. Tho half-holiday system would not work all the year round. To Mr Thorn: Ho got £1 a weeJc wheu ho was 18 years of age. Ho was brought up on a farm. The hearing will be resumed at Leeston at 10.30 a.m. to-day.