RURAL LABOUR CONDITIONS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28002, 23 June 1956, Page 7

RURAL LABOUR CONDITIONS

STATION HANDS AT PALMSIDE ATTRACTIVE LAY-OUT “A man worthy of his job is entitled to all the advantages offered by life in the country, not just the disadvantages, which is so often the case,” said Mr Terence Rhodes, manager of the North Canterbury station, Palms’de. in conversation with the writer recently. “By this token,” continued Mr Rhodes, “a contented wife is more than half the battle for the retention of station hands.”

In pursuance of this policy, three of the four married couples at Palmside are provided with attractive, wellappointed bungalows, each with a refrigerator, an electric range as well as a coal range, a dual hot water service, high pressure water, and every accessory it is possible to conceive. The kitchen in each bungalow has a stainless steel bench and sink, and floor-to-cei’ing cupboards. All the bedrooms have built-in wardrobes, and the bathrooms lose nothing by comparison with the highest standards obtaining in a city.

Each cottage, too. is provided with a spacious, well-constructed garage, fowlhouse and woodshed, and waterflushed lavatories. Concrete pathing has not been spared, and each cottage —they are not cheek by jowl—is neatly fenced. The fourth married couple live in the old homestead which, too is comfortable and right up-to-date. Picturesque Setting Each bungalow has three bedrooms, a minimum provision insisted on by the owner of the station, Mr J. H. Rhodes, who likes to see families with children at Palmside, and as the manager explained, believes in giving young people a chance to work on the station. even if they are not very experienced. always providing they have a will to learn.

Neat and attractive semi-detached ving quarters are also provided for

the single men employed at Palmside. These quarters are provided with all modern amenities.

In addition to being provided with housing, all employees are found in meat, milk and cream, and general basic stores. Small wonder that there are no labour troubles at Palmside. This little settlement is ensconced at the foothills of the Lowry Hills range. It is in a sheltered and picturesque setting, set off by flourishing plantations. The main plantation is of Douglas fir and Pinus radiata. Eucalpts macrocarpa, and deodaras make up the lesser plantations. Most of the trees have been planted during

Mr J. H. Rhodes’s ownership. A great lover of trees, Mr Rhodes holds that much wisdom is contained in the inscription on the memorial to Michael John Burke, a pioneer of the Mackenzie Country, and the man after whom Burke’s Pass is named. The inscription was written, and the monument erected, by the late T. D. Burnett (another noted Mackenzie Country figure). The wording is as follows:

“O ye who enter the portals of the Mackenzie to found homes, take the word of a child of the misty gorges, and plant forest trees for your lives. So shall your mountain facings and river flats be preserved to your children’s children and for evermore.”