SHEARERS' QUARTERS

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 98, 25 April 1917, Page 8

SHEARERS' QUARTERS

ACCOMMODATION CRITICISED

STRONG COMPLAINTS BY DEPUTATION.

AMENDED LEGISLATION

REQUESTED.

Strong complaints regarding ■ the inadequate accommodation provided for shearers at many sheep stations were made by a, deputation to the Hon. W. H. Henries, Acting-Minister of Labour, from the conference of the- New Zealand Agricultural and Pastoral Workers' Union (A.P.U.), -which includes the New Zealand: Shearers' Association. ' The.deputation wats headed by Mr. A. J. King, president of the conference. MAORIS HERDED TOGETHER. Mr. J. Townsend, vice-president, stated that the provisions of the Shearers' Accommodation Act were not being complied with, not as regards air space, but in other directions. He dealt separately with the accommodation at the stations in the Wairarapa. At one station, he said, tho air space was sufficient, but the building was such that if it were in town the men would not be allowed to live in, it: Iri ■ another instance the shearers slept in a- room over the diningroom, in which other station handls lived. There were no fire escapes, and in the event of fire the lives of the men would be endangered. In the Wanganui district, at one station 16 miles from the town, the men had their meals and slept in the same room. The accommodation in a further instance wafe eight yards from the shearing place, and the eating place was the most insanitary he had ever seen in his life. Another station had accommodation, t«he. like, of .which ho did not expect to find' in New Zealand. It consisted of a small hut, "with no floor,, and had absolutely no cooking utensils. The Maori shearers slept on the ground in tents, and there were ho sanitary convenience at all. At anothor place four shearers were compelled to- sleep on the floor. Three times tho accommodation was essential, and tho cracks in the walls were stuffed, with newspapers. In many places in the Wanganui district tho requirements of the Act had not been complied with, and some of the buildings had not I been inspected by the Government in- ' spector. i

The speaker then matte some Sensational statements regarding the manner in which the Maori shearers and their ■womenfolk herded together in a certain district. There was, he said, some doubt as to whether the sheepownera or the contractors had to supply the accommodation. Tho Queensland Act forced tho employer to provide this accommodation, no matter who the contractor was. He did not object to the men sleeping in tents, but he did . object to'their having to sleep on the ground, and having no sanitary conveniences. In Marlbbrough, at one 1 station where there were nine shearers when ho was working there, there were now eighteen sheaxens sleeping in tho same building. It was asked that the inspector visit each placo once a year as provided by the Act, that no more <■ than two. men should be allowed to sleep in one room, and that cooking utensils, washing accommodation, and more air space should be provided. "EAT, WORK, AND SLEEP." Mr. C. Grayndter, secretary of the A.P.U., said it was a well-known fact that many of the places of accommodation were unsatisfactory. The wool* industry was the most profitable in New Zealand, but the employees were treated more scandalously than those in any of the other industries. Shearing, was hard and laborious work, and in many places when the men finished work they had no place where they could dry their clothes. It was a case of eat, work, and sleep, and the Government had made no attempt to provide' proper accommodation and conveniences. With the industry in such a prosperous 'condition the ,emiployers could quite easily supply the necessary regirirements of the shearers | and the agricultural and pastoral workers of the Dominion. In reply to charges made, the Labour Department and the Minister had replied that .conditions were satisfactory, while men who had shorn at the places complained of knew for a fact that they were not satisfactory. With the provisions of the Act so unsatisfactory to thousands of workers it was the duty of the Minister to bring down the necessary amendments to make, it satisfactory. Mr. R. Eddy characterised the Maori accommodation in Hawkes Bay as a disgrace to the sheep-owners. The reason given for engaging the Natives was that they were more amenable than the white shearers, but the fact was that, when the European shearers saw the accommodation provided, they refused to stay. On one station -the Maoris slept in the cook shop, while at another station the shearers' accommodation was bujjjt on a swamp, and was' absolutely unhealthy and insanitary. In a further case absqlutely no accommodation at all was provided. In his opinion, in 80 per cent., of cases the position was not what it should be. , \

ANNUAL INSPECTION WANTED

Mr. Cook urged that "inspection should be made every twelve months, as laid down by the Act. In' nine years he had only met one inspector, and that was in South Canterbury. On one station in Marlborough the shearers' hut looked' as though it was built in the reign of Queen Anne. Another delegate, who had experience of ,the Poverty Bay and Gisborne districts, said that additional regulations were wanted. He had also found the accommodation in Southland very bad. Mr. T. Kennedy also criticised the accommodation provided for farm labourers generally. Mr. W. Boone referred to the increase in the totalisator returns, phich, he said,' indicated there was any amount of capital available to provide, for the i wants of the workers. It was not the workers who put their money through the machine. The President (Mr. - King) said he .hoped the requests of the deputation would not result as previous requests had done. MINISTER'S REPLY. The Minister, in replying, explained that he was only Acting-Minister of Labour, but no doubt his colleague the Prime Minister would be shortly back here, and he would place the "deputation's views before him. From what he gathered, they wanted the Act amended. (Voices : " That, is so."} It was rather a matter of legislation than of blame on the Department. The Department was anxious to cany out the Act as far as it could, and all complaints made were carefully investigated. The unfortunate thing, from the deputation's point of view, was that the Act did not require the squatter or the farmer to do very much. He .wished to assure, them and the public that the Department was not neglectful in this matter, but was endeavouring to cany out the law- as it stood. As far as amending tho Act was concerned, that was a matter for Cabinet to consider, and he could not give them any assuranco whether it would be done this session, as Parliament might decide in Atvoi* ite tJm<s eolejv to wtv nvantn.

Cabinet. The desire of the Department ■was to see the shearers and all other kigricultural -workers properly treated. :He had taken a note of the places mentionedj and \ould instruct the inspector to make enquiries." •■ ; '