THE LABOUR MARKET.

Otago Witness, Volume 15, Issue 1562, 15 October 1881, Page 15

THE LABOUR MARKET.

Mr SftBNR reports, under date October 12th :—

There is a slight lull at present. The leading crops have all been got in, and the planting of potatoes and sowing of turnips are all the farmer has to attend to. Grain cropping is only in its infancy in New Zealand. It is the test and keystone of all good farming in Great Britain ; but it means capital and labour, skill and study. Men for stations and farmß are getting off quietly now, and there is no concealing the fact that good men are scarce. There are good tidings for couples. Those with large families are in favour at lost ; others are in better demand than usual. How is the supply of trained farm hands to be kept up if good thriving couples are not encouraged? Hotel servants are in large dedemand, and wages are liberal for first-class cooks, waiters, and barmaids. There is also a run on gardeners, and superior men have now some chance. Musterers, Bhepherda, and station helps could be picked up last season for an old song, but this state of affairs is, we hope, never to recur again. Ordinary female servants for stations, &c. are much needed ; most of them keep their billets for the Christmas cheques. Station cooks are wanted ; business men are at zero.

Wages :— Day labour, 6s, 7s, and 8a ; couples, £70 to £80 ; shepherds, £60 to £65 ; hotel men, 20s to 40s and 50a; hotel females, 20a, 30s, and 40b ; governesses and housekeepers, 20s to 30b ; ploughmen, £52 ; milkers, 10a, 12s, and 15s ; general servants for town and country, 10b, 12s, and 15s ; station cooks, 25s to 30s ; country Btoremen, Wb to 30s ; station smiths and carpenters, 35% to 50s ; message boys and farm boys, tO 109.

Mr P. M. Grant reports :— During the past week thelabour market for men has been rather unsettled, and engagements have been delayed in consequence. Servants are holding out for wages which masters do not feel inclined to give, and employers are preferring to work shorthanded in hopes that they will obtain m <i at les3 wages. I do not know, but lam afraid their expectations will not be realised, as really good hands wo not so plentiful as they were last spring. Wages : Couples for stations and farms, £60 to £75 ; shepherds, £55 to £65 ; musterers, 25s to 40s ; ploughmen, £40 to £52 ; general hands, 15s to 20s ; station cooks, 20s to 40s ; barmen and waiters, 20a to 30s ; boots, 10s to 20s ; day labourers, bushmen, draymen, &c , 6s to 7s ; gardeners and grooms, 20s to 80s ; milkers an 1 boys 6s to 20s ; blacksmiths, 20s to 503 ; carpentern, 7s to 10s ; storemen, 15s to 40s ; enginedrivers, 8s to 10s ; female cooks, 15s to 40s ; housemaids, laundresses, waitresses, dairymaids, general servants, 10s, 12s, and 20s ; barmaids, 15s to 30a ; nursegirls, 15s to 10s.