Birchwood Notes.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 346, 26 December 1911, Page 5

Birchwood Notes.

(From Our Own Correspondent),

Shearing is m progress hero, and is proceeding fitfully and intermittently owing to the unsatisfactory state of the weather. We seem to have got back to the meteorological conditions that prevaled here some years ago, when this was looked upon as the ugly duckling of New Zealand climates. Of late years there has been such an improvement that Southland people have been rather vain-glor-ious about it, and havo come to regard their climate as quite a reformed character, t has, however, broken out badly, and is evidently ov a meteorological spree of the worst type. The shed hands are working under an award, Judge Sim... like " Donna Julia, '* swearing she would ne'er consent, consented !" haying given one about a month ago, possibly m view of the near approach of tlie general election, after obstinately refusing to do so for the lasst two years. Tlie representatives of the employers fought hard against it to the last, and had the effrontery to tell the Judge at the Wellington hearing that they relied on him to refuse it. Although some of the wages fixed are absurdly low, cooks, for instance, are awarded 35s per week, a figure thut no competent man would think of accepting to cook for ashearing crowd, it is satisfactory to have a minimum wage fixed. Those employers, whp were very civil to swagmen as shearing time approached, and used all their blandishments to induce men to rush about a shearing shed for 10 or 11 hours a

day for the same wages ordinarily paid for 8 hours' work, will have to pay the amount fixed, and shearing time will not offer the same chances to the submerged tenth. The practice followed by some sheepowuers of sending shed hands to dig .he garden and do other odd jobs m their spare time, is also a thing of the past.

I regret to notice the death of two of the Western District's oldest and most respected settlers — Mr Robert Baird, who died at his home on the Lirpestone Plains at the advanced age of 81 was a splendid type of the British colonist, ;Of fine Dhysique and natural ability, ho was of a most hospitable and genial nature, and will be greatly missed. He enjoyed the best of hoalth until a few years ago, when he was [seiaed with a paralytic stroke, and has been m failing hoalth ever since. Mr Henry Hirst, who died at Orepuki, aged ;74, lias for half a century taken a leading par 1 ; m the public affairs of this province. He twice represented Parliament m the Conservative luteresb, aud for 34 years was a member of tho Wallace Oounty Council, haviiig been its first chairman. He was very popular m his distriot, and was usually returned by large majorities ; but at the last election he only escaped sharin m the debacle that occurred amongst the older members by two or three votes. In view of his death, it is gratifying to think that his last days were not embittered by defeat after so many years' faithful service.

It was no doubt an instance of that presumption that recently caused an anonymous correspondent so much distress, that 1 sbould set my opinion against that of tho Prime Minister as to the probable result o£ the second ballots. Sir Joseph Ward's anticipation that ib would give him a working majority has certainly not been realised, however, and although he may be able to carry on for a time with the support ot independent and Labour mein.bersj he wi.l have to take his big boots off and put the thiok atiok m the cuphoard. It is evident that the people are determined that there shall be no departure from tlie humanitarian policy of the late Mr Seddon, and it is possible that amongst other things his promise to reduce-

tlie iniquitous duty on tobacco may be gifen a belated effect to.