FARM LABOURERS' UNION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14416, 5 July 1907, Page 4

FARM LABOURERS' UNION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—lf you will kindly grant me space in voiir valuable journal I woiud like to relate a few of my experiences as a farm labourer, and to show tiie treatment accorded that unfortunate class in. Canterbury. _ My first experience was with a dairy farmer near Ohristchureli as an apprentice. 1 was required to rise at 5.30 a.m. and bring in a mob of thirty cows and the- team of four horses.; feed the horses, and milk eight cows; then rush off to breakfast, and afterwards get to work with the team as quickly as possible j work the team until 4 p.m.. mid get the cows in again aft-er putting tno horses away; assist to milk until the milking was finished; then iced the pigs, wash cans, etc. After tins 1 had tea. generally about 7 p.m. Then, the hoi'soft having finished their feed, x had to tako tiicm to the paddock, after which I might turn in mud go to bed in an outhouse, in which you could s-e. daylight between the weatherboard's. My wages amounted to 6s per week lor tho first three mouths, and after that 12s 6d per week during the two yews I was employed Micro. That was r.n eighty-acro farm. I was next employed «:i a iaixi of 5400 acres, near Met liven, as ploughman, working a four-hoiv» team at AU per week and found. Thf'.v were about twenty-five men employed «;: ibis farm, and twenty of them oiepx, with the assistance of Keating's J J owdcr, in s room 24ft by 12ft. Tho ccok slept vn. the room where we had our meals and ho did His "cooking." The food consisted of mutton uaul bread, and "doughbovs," or "duff," with a few curtains in it, potatoes part of the year, and tea without milk. We had to buy out own butter and jam if we wantod any. We were required to oe up at 5.30 a.m. and to get our teams ready for work before breakfast at seven. We had to be at our ploughs, or whatever we were wonon.g. at eight. Wo had an liour for dinner in the paddock, and unyoked from the plough at 5 p.m. After tea we had to groom our horses. At harvest time we reaped from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. if it uns <a dry night, aud the machines could work, including Sundays. For the extra work at this time we received a £5 bonus on the year's work. The I harvest averaged about five weeks. After three years at this farm I went to a station in North Canterbury, and the conditions on the station were much the same, only worse. We got the £1 per week and had to be yoked up at 7.30 a.m. and work until 5.-30 p.m., and received no bonus for harvest. I have also had a lot of camping out and roughing it generally. I very seldom saw a potato. Sixteen men had to sleep in a badly-ventilated room, 12ft by 14ft, and twenty move in another whare, not much larger You can imagine what it was like in shearing time, when tho number of men /rase to fifty, and no extra sleeping accommodation was provided. Some of us bought tents of our own and camped out during the summer., rather than bleep- in such dens. 3 war? employed for three years en this station, and, although I worked very often all -day Sunday, I was never allowed but two days' holiday during the whole time. There was always too much work to be done, and if a man wanted to.get off for a week's holiday he had to pay a man to tako his place. A man. dared not utter a complaint, or ho was " sacked " at once. The food -was badly cooked and only tin plates and pannikins were provided. We had to buy butter and milk and other luxuries simply to exist and bo able to do our work. When the Inspector came along to inspect the men's quarters, he was met by the manager and passed on (without so much ais stepping insido tho whares) to his cottage, arid was treated to whisky and the best of food, and, of course, went away satisfied with all the manager liked to toil him. I have had ako to feed, groom and harness six horses and work them for , eight hours per day in a three-furroiv § | plough for £1 per week, and did tf(is i/for nine months to my employer's euI tiro satisfaction. This meant real hard

work from 5 a.m. until 'J p.m. to do the horses justice, hut 1 was well treated as regards board and lodging in this case. I have had fifteen, years 1 experience of farming and station work, and I have yet to discover the generous

farmers that f,omo of your correspondents would like us to behove exist. The most generous to their men, in my experience, have been the smaller farmens, that take the men into their house and treat them like one of the family, and those that do do this soon | learn that it is greatly appreciated by i the men, and they are able to get good | workmen to stay with them for many j years, as they prize home comforts inore highly than wages. I am very ■ pleased to see that the town worker | has put forth the hand of brotherhood | to help the farm labourers in their need, and hope that every farm la- I hourer will roll up and join the Union and make it the strong organisation it ought to be.—l am, etc., HUNITA. TO THB KDITOa. Sir, —Your .correspondent "''Patches Minus Dungarees" would make it appear that there- are a large number of loafers amongst the farm labourers. I guess a loafer is one of those bad, wicked persons who will take things easy and not study the interest of his employer. But, on the other side, tho employer who does not study the interest, comfort and convenience of his worker is also a loafer, and the worst brand of loafer of the two, because, by neglecting to do his duty towards his workers, he gives them an excuse to loaf and therefore is tho cause of their loafing. For the information of your correspondent I will just explain the dutv of an employer towards his worker. " An employer should have a comfortable house for his workers to sleep in, at a safe distance from all higlismelling places such cs pigstys, stables and rubbish heaps. Next, attention should be paid to tho worker s 100-d, which is of first-rate importance. Breakfast should consist of a bit of -.yell-boiled porridge with pure now milk: skimmed milk should never be nut on the dining table. It should bo ca«t to the swine, providing it would not injure their digestion. The second course should consist of a juicy beerstenk ot chops, followed by good bread and butter, all to bo washed down with a few cups of really good tea. .the labourer would be worthy of his hire af*-e'- such a srood breakfast. it i*» fcoUsh for an employer to expect to get honest work out of his men u he himeelf ifi not honest in housing and tedin~ his men decently. Brother / I Pitches " has looked on only one side or this question. The working man who has a good employer would be a lowdown scoundrel a.nd loater u he neglected to- do his part.—l am, etc