FARM LABOUR IN CANTERBURY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14975, 22 April 1909, Page 8

FARM LABOUR IN CANTERBURY.

WORK FOR COMPETENT MEN. At the meeting of the Canterbury Centro of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union yesterday the question of the employment of farm labour was introduced by a letter from Mr A. J. Kent, Taurauga, who wrote stating that a young man who had been in. New Zealand for three months was returning to the land of his birth (England) because the prospects of work for him were not sufficiently encouraging to justify his staying in the country. The young man was a general farm hand and used to mixed farming. He had been harvesting for a little while in the South Island, and he did not think that Mr Evans hafl been correct when he had moved at a meeting of tho Union that there was work for men that could do it and were willing to do it. When he returned to England he would be compelled to refute the statements made by the Union. Mr Leadley said that he knew three farmers in the Ashburton district who. were asking for men. He moved—- “ That the actual facts of the position locally confirmed the opinion expressed by Mr Evans at tho previous meeting of the executive, and m the early part of harvest there was a superabundance of men owing to the harvest being three woeks late, and as soon as the harvest' commenced the men were absorbed, and towards the end of the season there was a scarcity of men.” Mr Leadley said that he knew of three men who wanted workers to plough. Mr Evans said that at the present time it was difficult to get experienced men to work for the ruling rate of wages. The men had to bo taught. Could the Union say that there was any amount of work for competent men? Mr Mulliolland said that there was work for competent men at 25s a week. Mr Leadley said it was easy to get rouseabouts, but good men to take teams and to do ploughing, mowing, drilling and reaping were hard to get. It was decided to add to the motion that there was work for competent teamsters who could do reaping, mowing. drilling and ploughing. The motion was carried, and it was decided to forward it to Mr Kent.