JOTTINGS FROM OVERSEAS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28471, 28 December 1957, Page 13

JOTTINGS FROM OVERSEAS

The Graziers’ Association of Victoria (Australia) reports recent cases where breaches of the law have occurred in respect of annual leave to employees and the Department of Labour and Industry has threatened to prosecute the employers concerned. The breaches included payment to employees instead of ' annual leave, and instances where employees had not been disposed to take leave but later had complained that they had neither received the leave nor payment in respect of it. It is pointed out by the association that employers must offer and employees must take annual leave as it becomes due, says the “Pdstoral Review.” Except where employment is being terminated payment should not be offered or accepted instead of leave. If an employee persists in not desiring to take his leave the association says an employer would be well advised to emphasise that his leave shall commence from a certain date and, if the employee remains on the property for the period of the leave, ensure that no orders are given or duties allotted to the employee during the period.

Successful tests of a new insecticide which can be given to cattle orally, are regarded as the probable solution of the cattle grub problem which has engaged the efforts of entomologists of the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) and of most of the State experiment stations for many years. When one dose is given orally to an animal, the chemical moves throughout body fluids to destroy both northern and common species of grubs before they break through the hide and appear on the backs of infested cattle.

* * * A recent issue of “Life,” the American international magazine, illustrated a western United States farmer shearing a tranquillised sheep. Worn out from shearing wriggling, kicking sheep, particularly rams, the farmer asked his medical adviser to secure a transquillising drug that would soothe sheep. Although he expressed doubt concerning the duration of the effect on sheep of such a drug, the doctor prescribed a dose of 2 c.c. of a tranquilliser known as Sparine. Twenty minutes or so later, it was said, a peaceful expression spread over the ram’s face and he was shorn without the slightest opposition.

* * ¥ In an attempt to restore confidence to the wool. trade, the Commodity Credit Corporation on October 2 rejected as unacceptable bids on about 2,637,0001 b of stockpile wool. Trade sources in the United States believe that the bids were well under the previous week’s levels. It was thought that by passing this week, the C.C.C. hoped to move bids at least back to previous levels and possibly above them. While it was believed that this temporary relief might strengthen the market, it may be that this move will have no long range beneficial effect on the market. Until the C.C.C. stocks are disposed of it is thought that they will continue to be a depressing factor in the market—despite the age of the wools in the stockpile. The total wool inventory is now about 15,932,0001 b, against which some 1.5 m lb are yet to be selected against the Turkish barter contract (all weights greasy).

According to the latest rural census issued by the Acting Commonwealth Statistician, Mf S. R. Carver, there were 247,517 rural holdings in Australia for the year 1954-55 covering an area of over 954 million acres, 21 million of which were used for crops, 26 million under sown grasses and clovers and most of the remainder for grazing.

* * « 'Dotty, a German Merino ewe, who was recently imported from Germany into South Africa, has shattered South African records by producing five lambs within a year. All the lambs have sur.vived and one has been sold for £4OO.

Livestock numbers in Canada for the year ended June, 1957, have maintained the upward trend which has been evident in recent years. The total number of cattle, 11,296,000, shows a 3 per cent, increase on the previous year, while a total of 1,661,000 sheep also represents the same percentage increase.

Over the last 10 years there have been notable changes in rural employment in Australia according to figures recently released by the Acting Commonwealth Statistician, Mr S. R. Carver. There have been more persons engaged over-all, but the number permanently engaged has shown little (jhange. while the temporary employee figures have shown a considerable increase. This appears to indicate a tendency for employers to engage part-time labour in preference to permanent workers. The census also showed a decrease in the number of female employees.