CO-OPERATIVE WORKS.

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 2321, 25 August 1898, Page 17

CO-OPERATIVE WORKS.

The return dealing with the co-operativa works shows that 4-4-8 miles of new dray road were made, and 367 miles of bridle tracks also made ; 383 miles of dray roads and 103 miles of bridle tracks were improved; and 2857 miles, of roadways maintained, all at a cost of £277,543— ha1f of which was spent in two provinces, Auckland and Wellington. £23,000 was spent in Otago and £13,000 in Southland. The average number of men employed throughout the year has been 1519. The following table gives the wages earned by cooperative workers in each provincial district:

In Otago some 128 road-work contracts were completed by co-operative labourers. The minimum wage of 2s 4d was earned by a gang of settlers on the Main Waikawa road, who. were greatly retarded in their work by bad weather. The average wage earned all weathers (5s s§d per day) appears small, but 118 out of the 128 contracts completed were in the Catling and surrounding districts, where the men were also greatly handicapped.

A young woman named Margaret Buckley died recently at the residence of Mrs Smith, West Perth. A detective subsequently made an excavation in the yard at the back of the house, and found the body of a newly- born infant. Continuing the search, he found two more bodies. No arrests hava been made, but the place is under close surveillance.

Sir Henry Thompson describes natural ape rient waters as vastly superior to artificial solutions, howover skilfully prepared ; and " HunYADI JINOS" *S " THE MOST CONCENTRATED OF THE Saline group." Annual sale six million bottles Signature, And *kaS Saxlkhnbr, on label secures genuineness.

Auckland ... l'aranaki Hawke's Bay Wellington ... Marlborougli Nelson Westlanrl ... Canterbury ... ptogo southland ... Lowest Wage. s. d. ... 3 11 ... 4 7 ... 2 8J . . 1 10 . . 2 51 . . 4 10 ..5 2 5 4J ... 2 4 .. 3 2J Highest Wage, s. d. 12 1 10 6 12 0 9 11J 13 li 10 1 11 0 7 8i 8 8 8 8J Average, s. d 7 HI 6 21 6 8} 5 5£ 7 9i 7 2 8 0| 5 8i 5 51 6 «