FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 5

FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

! . /FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION. , .:■ :'AN<-ALLEGATION EMPHATIGAi/LY r:.' : ;! v..;i:. .DENIED.- : - - «-'•.' - ■J ■',(«'■ TELEGRAPH—SrECIAt, CORRESPONDENT.) .' 'j-"'•';■•"' ■.' ."■ Chrlstbriurch',;: December : 20.' ; 'In- giving cYidenco before 1 thV'Conciliation Hoard lit' Ashburton,' Mr.' G.' \V. Leadley, : ii well-known: Canterbury- farmer, ,--.nhd - vicepresident 'of i the: Farmers' Union, said lie farmed slightly over.3ooo' acres;" and' had been-'farming on'his own'account since 1378. HofStartdd worlc'on his father's'-farm when eleven years,-of; age:'- Ho.knew, of.no other land -to .which.,the.'farm labourers of New Zealand ' could go ; and ,; obtain 1 better wages and abetter conditions. . '. He employed 'four men, • two married and. two -single, and paid 'one, of the married men £95 per.annum and gave 'him'a' free' six-roomed house with 'garden; free cow, -free firing/'-n' hbrsc'arid cart when he wanted it, and mutton- at.3d. per lb. 1 -This was, equal to 32s.'y Gd. -per-week, and : a £10 bonus. The other married man got £88, per annum and similar "privileges. One single man-got 255. and.'ii £10 bonus, and the .other 225. 6d. per,'.week arid a ; £10 bonus! The single men'took'their meals with' witness's family.' >He considered that' : 9s. per cent. ,of the farmers in the burton , County -had been farm. labourers .'ori-, ginally, and had risen from ;the ranks. . A man had a better'chance ofvgettihg:'on the land "at than twenty years ago. Though- land -'.was.-dear- it -was I .worth -the money, it. cost to-day in view- of ,the inCreased value of-produce, the cheaper ratesat which money could-he borrowed, arid the greater, efficiency: of agricultural implements and machinery. . aHo. thought that 50 per cent..'of the farm labourers'at present, were fairly competent, and a Were really .competent. l A fairly competent 'man was ■ one: who.could; be. sqntvto\work;.withbut any. guidance,.orvi.nstrnctions, and; who could adjust, .machinery to the. particular, work in hand. ', Farm- labourers ' nowadays .'.were.' not so;;competent as when: he was iyoung. : ;"- • ; .'"ls';it.true,',',• Mr.. Leadley.. .was. asljed,! "that Canterbury farmer's liotise their irae'n likb'pigs.'and'.feed them like dogs?''- ' ;''■•'. < ""I?.-have;; had'' opportunities,'! he'-repliod, "of: seoinjjr .the class of accommodation and food provided in all parts of. Canterbury, arid;the statement yqii'have.quoted is a)font libel "on the farmers of Canterbury!*' It is simply' untrue, and an unmitigated lie." :' ; -Mr, .Thorn (to-tho.'Chairman),: .''That is too strong.".- . ...-,:.. , .',- , ..-; i The ' Chairman ;. (to Witness): '.'You,' mustwithdraw that:'' "•'■ ' / ',;;'"• •; : ' : . 'MV/'Leadley:' ; '-I withdraw tHo'remark'ob ; jected.t.o, but the statefnerit, is- an'; incorrect have said., so .in the'papers. On the-smaller .farms"it .is. the custom,of, ! the men to sit down-to'meals' With' 'thofarmer, and I .suppose-,', that obtains • in' resjpej?t:to 90 per cent, 'of the. farms, in" the Ashburton County'.- •-' .• '■'• ■ ;' ." : ■'■-' '' ' •'';• ;-/•

j -Mr.- Kennedy, (one of- ; the ■'Union's "representatives) ojplained . that" !• he' had •--.' stated that cases existed, where inan were fed and hduse'd," in '.'tho, marinpr described,., aiid he thought', the Board" : had .-''had 'ah instance that' day' given' by 'the witness"' Critchley. The-latter, had .istated that-.thrcc months lie was working' at Ethclton, at .a camp where thirteen or 'fourteen men w-erc- employed. slept'in": portable. *ha'rcß, and no-had-seen' sis-' men- in' "oho,-sleeping' onp above .the ..other. '■:' hot.nihg;biit mutton and dry ~bread,- .and ..oqcasionally ■plii.iri.'.pudding .and ..a little pastry, esoept when a bullock broke its leg". ,an'd then they had heef.- They had to : buy their own' bii'tfef,and/jam,'\:ahd.W(irkcd..'fr'oni -6-a.m. ; to 6 p.m.- food was worth-about-. 6s. per week at the outside. Ho was. with ■ that employer for fbur-of five' months,'-and during that period be lost only two days-on account dfwat weather. The ..food,; owing, to the manner in. which it. was cooked, - was not fit for dogs ...to. cat." 'He was ill.' for'' two daps,but, though he was a weekly hand, : ihe lost time.was deducted from his Wages. - He was a.mcm.ber of the Union. .Somq.- of the men' ji't' the place he had mentioned'. would >not, join 'the. Union, because they 'wero' afraid that if they did so they would' get'thp 'sack'. Pressed to give particular instßricesbf this, witness.was:unablo to do.so, that he. had been .told'; that such; was "thecase;'' '\Ur.'J.. C: :N. G'rigg- mentioned , that throughout New Zealand manv men who had been-'-.working-' for', his -father at 'liongbcach now owiief] thqir own ■ farms, whilst some' of the wealthiest, men in Canterbury had graduated from thb same farm.' "Whilst.in-Wel-lington recently," Mr. Grigg added; "Mi-. Massoy tapped me on the shbulder'and said, 'Don't forget' I . once worked; at" Longbeach.' "-...-.-. . .-...-...