FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 93, 13 January 1908, Page 9

FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE.

'■ A MODEL CANTERBURY. FARM., > VISITED BY THE BOARD. FURTHER EVIDENCE. ■■ (DY "TBLEOBAI'U—SPECIAL ' OORRE9rONI)ENT.) ' ' ChristoliUTch, January 10. ■ Tho members of tho Conciliation Board who aro dealing with' the far® labourers' dispute havo to, sit'fairly olosely to" their task, but occasionally thoy find 'time and estttse to take a day in'tlio country to study on the ppot tho conditions under which tho' fa^rii, labourer works. Thoy did' this at Ashburton, spending a very pleasant day on tho famous Loiigbeach Eotatej' and c'n Tuesday aftornobn they- accepted ah invitation tovisit Mr. Tripp's Ordri Gorg'o "statibii, of 6-5,001) acres, tho members of tho • Board. driving up from Geraldino, togothor : ' with' tlio representatives; of tho oin'ployers arid labourers who aro engaged; in tho caso now being heard. .Tlifi day was tlio,'hottest' of tho summer, and tlio drivo in the heat made, the afternoon, tea provided ..for the-visitors on arrival very Welcome. ' . Aftor this- they inado an inspection 'of tho premises in which - tho men who work on tlio station live. Tlio .oonditions wero found 'to,bo everything!that could b'o desired, , and members 'of tho iioard, as well as Mossr3. Thorn and Kennedy, roproseiiting tho Labourera' Union, expressed themselves ift unqualified terms of praiso ofi all that they saw, both as regards tho slcoping accommodation and tho food: It was soan that.tho men havo .a : roomy, substartt-'-iali.y-built housp,-with a verandah roUnd two sides, in which to live.- , The dwolling Contains tho i-cquisito number of bedrooms for; tha men, so that there is no overcrowding and no doublo bunks,'nor-any bunks'built on .tho tier'system j and thero - is a-spacious-dining-room, a kitchen, and pantry, a reading room with a- variety of reading matteron tho table,' and a. batfiroom; and, lavatory; ..Fronl end to eiid tho dwelling was found, to bo spotlessly clean, a fact which members of the Board interpreted as an indication that' tho men appreciated and. took a-pride-in thocomfortablo'quarters provided for them. After, tho men s quarters, the smithy was visited, and from here Mr. Tripp led -them to tho ; shearing' shed. Hero -again in the dinitig-robm - and kitchen,- everything - was found to be as clean as tho most particular porson could desire, while tho,food.of which, the yisitors tasted-,was pronounced to- bosuch as to require no apology if, put on tho best tablo in'tho Dominion, . tlio monu :in-. eluding meat, bread, cake, butter, pastry, hnd vegetables.. • Tho shearers, it appeared from a notieo on tho wall of tho dining-room at the'-shearing havo seven, opportunities' for refreshment during' the, day, the notico referred to reading • as follows Tea and cake,<'s a.m.; breakfast, 7 a.rilij dinner, 12; evening meal, ' 5.40; 'sir.oko, 9.45 a;in., 2.20 p.in., and-4 p.m. (tea and cako.is supplied at each of theso spoils). INQUIRIES AMONG THE MEN. - . •.. Whilo thfl> visitors wero engaged making :a elbso inspection thcro and everywhere,' a" reporter of tho "Press," who formed olio of tha party, made somo ■ inquiries quietly 'amongst som'o of tho men oil t-hb station,: FirstJ it was ascertained that ofall tlio hands engaged b)i tho station not orio is a member .of tho Uliion, and the' reason for this; was probably found in a very jdecisivo st-ateinent- which Was mado to tho reporter by -one of:-the mbn,'who doclarc-d that in Mr. Tripp thby had "tho • champion -.boss' of tlio \vorld." And after . a. pause this employee added:—"ln' factj Mr. Tripp is too' good.; Ho can't do enough for us, but in return':.wb'try : to do all wo can for him, as any man would for so gobd a boss."- Referring'to holidays it was said that if a mart-wantw'-a day; or'two days. oif'Miv'Tripp would givo -it to him'and allow his wages to go on - without -- deduction. Another- : fact'which the-'reporter gleaned' in his "convorsa-' tion amorig-' the liien was that Mr: Tripp has-; t ivo i men iii his employ who Jiavo been with'' him: for twenty-six years, -and-One been on tho station■ for fbrty years,-and tothis long 'service trio ho recently presented a silver watch each in recognition of their long and faithful services. Tl'.eSo men are 1 Harry Ford,' mustcrorj Robert N'Nally, gardener; and Johiv Bennett, '• packman. 1 Besides, there aro several rtieu- who- havo been on tho' station for seventeen' and eighteen years. Another fact worthy of note'is that tho employees aro not left to''stagnate intellectually, for;,thojr had an abundanco--of varied reading matter. Tho general permanent hands on tho station number twenty to twenty-four.' At mustering tinio thb number is increased to thirty-five, and at shearing timo.'to seventy-fivo. • Thcro aro .five cottages on dilferent l parts of the station, and members of'the Board noted'with pleasure tho comfortable .-positions under which tho married couples who occupied tlicso livetl' Tho official part of tho visit having coil'eluded, the visitors were courteously conducted by" Mr. and Miss Tripp round 'the pictu'resquo 'gardens which surround the' homestead, and before leaving thby were again invited into'the house, whero rofroshinents wero'served. $ • ' TOASTS HONOURED. Here ono or two toasts wore honoured. Mr. Minson, as Chairman of tho Board, thanked Mrs. Tripp, Miss and-Mr. Tripp for their hospitality, and said that while the visit had beon both pleasant and enjoyable, ho was suro that it would also prove profitable in a vofy practical way to-members-of the Board. -Tho- spirit of contentment and good will between master and employee which'prevailed at Orari Gorge station was it proof of the assertion that a good master mado a good man, and that good men-Were sure to find coli3iderato masters. Tho dif■fercnco which' existed at tho present time between certain sections of ~the community.was ■to bo rogrctted' and ho expressed tlio hbpo that tho Conciliation Board ] would bo tlio means of bringing about a satisfactory settle- ■ niont of tho farm labourers' diaputo. Ho propogscd tho;.toast of "Pastoral Interests." Mr. Thornc, tho Union representative, speaking to tlio toast, said that everything he had 3ecn at MrTripp'u station had given him very great pleasure. Ho felt delighted to find tho mon so woll provided for, and he felt liko saying to every farm and- stationholder in . the. Dominion, "Go thou arid do likewise." Tho provision made for tho men by Mr. Tripp left nothing to bo desired, and l'rom the bottom, of his ■ heart ho wished such an employer tho very best prosperity that could possibly attend him. 31'r. Jones, on behalf of tho employers, also added a. glowing tribute to Mr.-Tripp's, methods. . In tho past, farmers bad had a 'hard row to hoc, but now that tl\cy.could alford it they wero giving their employees tho boncfit of improved conditions. Mr. Tripp, in reply, said lie was only Carrying on the methods under which his ,1a to father had taught him to work. His lather had always said: "Treat a man well and ho will treat you well," and ho had .found this to be sound advice. Times were better now than they used to be. They could afford to mako things better for the men, and thoy liked to do it. That, he thought, was tho attitude assumed by most of tho employers in tho Dominion to-day. Ho had always found that when there was work to ho dono tho men worn willing to do it, even though it meant working long hours for a time, and during (he sixteen years lie had been manager at Orari Gorgo ho had never heard' a grumblo from any of tho men. THE EVIDENCE. Amongst the _ witnesses before tlio Conciliation Board in tho farm labourers' caso was Mr. Bernard Tripp, manager of Orari Gorgo station for sixteen years, whoso evidence went to show that if tho demands of tho Union v.-ovo carried out to tho letter he would not bo abln to carry on a sheep station. It would bo impossiblo to fix any definite holidays. It would bo far better to leavo tho holidays for arrangement between man and master. If a witness had stat-cd at Timaru that tho food supplied to musterers consisted of bread and mutton and tea, and tea and mutton and bread, witness could not agrco-with him. WitnesT mon wero supplied with potatoes, mutton, bread, butter, golden syrup, currants, raisins, and vegetables in season. Thero was a station library for tho men. In this thero wero 400 books, and whilo it

was subsidised by the. station owners, the [Hon paid 2s. 6d. a year towards tho cost of its upkeep. Wages "had gone up 25 per cent, during tho past toil years. 'Witness ploughed about 1100 acres a year, and did it by corttract. Ho found tiio contractors in' horses, implements, sleeping gnlleyo, etc., sold thein oats at Is. 6d. a bushel and chaff at Bd. por bag. Tho men found' thoir bivit food and paid their own cook, and ho'paid them so much an aero for . ploughing, harrowing.' rolling, otc. ' This system half been adopted by him three yeara ago, and ho found it to twirk very , satisfactorily,... Tho men wero perfectly-satisfied. •; To Mr. Thorrie: It would bo quito inipossib!o to mako an award which would opcrat-o fairly to all parties; ' ' 'V i Mr. Tripp invited Mr. Thorn to go to his. station- for a week-,totest.tho Accuracy,of this statement. , Mr. Thorn said, ho would' accept tho invitation. .. . ■ ' . "Witness said ho; would not nata® a: minimum wage. Ho'believed in giving .-a man what ho was _ .worth. ; It would bo -possible' to fix . a minimum wage, 'but in tho interests of man. and master it', was undosirablo. ... : Continuing!) in reply to'Mr.'Tliorn,' witness said tho. wages demanded for ploughmen would; not ,bo too high if,.tho'.Union would guarantee tho weather. lio did not think £3 a .week too mucli to pay mnsterers in the back' country when they wero only on for a brief period. Witness paid'£3 10s.'ft' week' for, short nmsterings, and £2 a week when tho men'woro on for a long period.