FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 71, 17 December 1907, Page 5

FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

—♦ WHEAT GROWING.. , SOJLE INTERESTING FIGURES. ; (by telegraph—special correspondent.) Christchurch, December 16. Mr. John Talbot, Chairman of Directors of the Canterbury Farmers' Co-operative Association, in his evidence before the Conciliation Board, at Timarn, in tho farm labourers' case, gave some interesting figures, concerning wheat-growing and the profit derivable therefrom. Taking grass land at £15 per acre, ho put down £1 10s. per acre for- rent for two years; and, assuming that it would require two ploughings, there would bo 14s. per acre for this work (7s. each time); discing anil harrowing, Gs. per acre; drilling and rolling, 3s. per acre; seed, Cs.; harvesting, I 125.; threshing, 7s. Gd.; carting to' the nearest railway station, 55.; and rates, 2s. Gd.; the wholo estimate being based upon. a 30 bushel crop, which would be good for £15 an aero land. This.gave a. total of £4 6s. an aero in expenses. Tho avorago prico of wheat for tho past 18 years. had been a fraction under 3s. Id. delivered in Tiinaru. (slightly under 3s to the farmer),' so that the margin for profit was a very small. one. Mr. Talbot concluded: —"Farmers would go out of wheat growing altogether if. the demands of the labourers' union were given effect to.' They would have no option, as. whoatrgrowiilg could not be carried on un'der such conditions with hired labour." The average price of oats for tho past lien years, MY; Talbot said, had been Is. Bjd. As showing the decrease in wheat-growing of recent years, Mr. Jones, one of the farmers' representatives, said that, while .in, 1898 there wero 13 million bushels growii in the Dominion, there wero only, bushels last year. - 1 "" '■ " > • •• EXTENSION. OF TIME, The .Conciliation Board lias' applied for an extension of time in 'which-to report to the Arbitration Court on-tho farm labourers' disputo. It is quite possible that a further extension may be required, for the case is exciting great interest among farmers, and large numbers are desirous of giving evidence. When tho Board concluded its sitting at Tiuiaru on 'Friday,••'there was a protest by farmers who had been waiting for sovoral days past to give evidence. One farmer had attended the sitting of tho Board for six consecutive days, four days in order to get an opportunity of giving ovidcnco', but had been unable to have their say. . Mr. Twentyman, as hon....spcretary_.to_.the Farmers' Defence Committee, said that ho had been asked to make an urgent, request to tho Board to come back and hoar further evidence at Tiniaru. Mr. Wilson, of Allandale, said that- ho had been appointed by■ meetings-at Tiinaru and Fairlie to use his best endeavours in defence of this case, to which 15 or 20 men had cited 7000 to 8000 farmers, • and the Court would surely not give an award without hearing fully what the employers had to say. The Chairman of the Board said that tho inquiry had been opened in Christchurch a month ago, and one of the first tilings he had been asked to do was to give a niiing as to whether every fanner who had been cited had a right to appear and give e\idence as well as to cross-examine witnesses. Ho had ruled that they all had such a right. That was all very well'in theory, but it bed '.veil found to work out very badly in practico, and if the inquiry- were conducted cn those lines it would go on for-ever. -So far the farmers had been very' ably .'ropr.Vs-.Mitod by tho parties elected to represent'them, and the evidence at Timarn had been, highly instructive and helpful to the Board. The Board .had another 45,days'.-.work-i,head of thorn, and 11 more places "to visit, and he did not think that they would be able ti revisit Timarn. The Bioard wonltlat v Geraldine and Waimate,'. and perhaps tlioso who desired to he heard could arrange to visit either of these places when the Board wore there.