AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL WORKERS' COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 25

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL WORKERS' COLUMN.

KOTES AKD GENERAL INFORMATION. Bt Steve Boreham. It is veil known to the workers of this colony that the writer of these notes has advocated at all times, and always will advocate, a lair day's pay for a fair day's work. It may he asked, What is considered a fair pay for a day's work of eight hours? Well, from my experience and knowledge of what it costs to ke*p one" s family decently clothed and fed with the grocer, baker, tailor, and landlord paid tip to date, 8s is, if not fair pay, at least sufficient for a thrifty man to pull through life with; but in order that one's liabilities to his creditors may be discharged punctually it is absolutely essential that a wolkman shall be continually employed at the rate of pay mentioned. It will be admitted that when wet weather and other contingencies are taken into consideration the sum mentioned as a fair wage is, at anyrate, not more than enough for a man to live on. It will be noticed that Ih© writer is giving what, in his ©pinion, as a fair daily wage. Workers will therefore bear in mind what ie etated at the commencement of these notes when reading the following conclusions to which the writer has come after carefully observing the out-of-work problem for the last 25 years in this colony, and co not hastily jump to the conclusion that my policy of fair wage lo all good average workmen has suffered any change in the smallest detail Terj well, now let us see what is the cause of so many men being out of work during the -winter months of the year in New Zealand. My experience is that there is plenty of work to be done— in- fact, more work than we could find men to do were they willing; but the workers— at least the New Zealand workers— are not willing; hence the cause of co many aoen on the iist of tmemployed. And this brings us to the question why our "New Zealand workers, are not willing to take work when it is offered to tfcheua. The answer is, the wages off<;ve<J are considered bj the *»«» to be too few ; but 1 ask are the wages paid by squatters aud farmers too low when eoinpaied with what -we all agree i§ & f a h- thi»g=-yi»., 8§ iper day of «ighfc hours^w,e, of couisg., to find <ounselves in tucker, and take pll rkks of -wet weather, etc.? I submit not. Tho pastoral and .agricultural -employer, as a iVis, J»/s «-» ordinary »©}.ker iron) £1 to

£1 5s per week, while plougftnen, fencers, and shepherds are paid from £1 2s 6d to £1 10s per week, "with no loss of time through wet weather, and found in tucker — good tucker as a rule,- unless spoiled by bad cooks. These* rates "of pay will, I think, compare more than favourably with. 8s per day, with the chance of being off work one or two days every week through wet weather or from other causes. Still, in the face of this, workers will persist in hunting round the towns till their last "bob" is gone, looking for the 8s per day job that never turns up, and as a last resource they run to the Labour Bureau and enter themselves up on the list of unemployed with the hope, which is never realised, that that political invention, which exists for no other purpose than to mislead and humbug bona fide workers, will land them into a good job. I may say right here that it is inadvisable for workers to put one farthing's worth of trust in the Government Labour Bureau. Better far to rely on their own abilities to get work than go, cap in hand, to that institution, which, in my opinion, is nothing more nor less than a twentieth century Government sweating machine, and an insult to a self-reliable working man's intelligence-. By the foregoing remarks it will be taken for granted that the writer is of opinion that so many are out of work because they are disinclined to take- work when it is offered to them. Nothing is co far from my mind, and I trust that those who carefully read Yny remarks on this subject will readily understand that they are idle because they have never thought of comparing the farmer's £1 per week and found with the contractor's 8s per day and find themselves. Those who care to do this will agree with me that the former's terms are as good as, if not better than, the latter's, with the certainty of longer employment and much more comfort.

With this vne come to the question, Where are we to 'get work with a weekly wage of from £1 to £1 10s? Well, just at present I admit work is slack all over the colony, notwithstanding anything the Labour Department's officials may have said, or may say. to the contrary. True, the Government has bush-felling to do at Tokomaru, for which iV is offering to pay 23s per acre, but let me advise bushfellers in this ielanfl, and the Government also, that the bush required to be felled at Tokomaru is worth at the very least £2 per acre to fell. and. to my mind, to offer men less .and expect them to accept the work is nothing short of a bold attempt to take an unfair advantage of the men's necessity to acceiit work or starve. Still, I have no doubt men will be found to take this work at the Government's wag© rather than do the same work for a private employer at the wages I have mentioned above. However, it must not be supposed that the Government is the only employer in the North Island, and good hands with fhe axe will not be long out of work should they go north in quest of employment. There are also considerable inquiries for shepherds with good dogs in the Hawke's Bay and Patea districts. There is also room for a number of good fencers in the new settlements in the North Island, and work may also be obtained by the general hand who cares to put up with bush life and good, rough and ready tucker. Speaking of this island, the writer feels confident that work is to be had in any quantity amongst the farmers and squatters just about this time of the year. Farmers will be requiring their gorse hedges trimmed, and in parts of South Canterbury I know of my own knowledge a number of farmers who would have the gorse cleared from their land could men be got to do th© work for £1 per week. Workers must not run away with the idea that as soon as ploughing is over ploughmen are put on to do odd jobs such as gorse cutting, etc. This is not to in these days of fat sheep farming. The ploughman, as a rule, is kept to the plough. After the grain is got in he has to prepare land for turnipe, etc. ; hence farmers now employ more labour, if they can get it, than before our meat export reached its present _ proporticinsAmongst our squatters work is to be had, especially by youths of 18 or 20 years of age. The tafest way for our city youth to proceed to get employment on sheep stations is to write to managers for a job, enclosing stamp for a reply. I feel sure that were some of our city lads to taste th© clean sweetness of up-country life as against the filthy surroundings of the existence they drag out in the city, it woiild bo hard to induce them to return to the biscuit, boot, rope, foundry, and painting factories, where, after a few years' employment, they are turned adrift into the- world neither tradesmen nor good masters. I do not lay any blame on the- city employers for this stats of things, but I cannot help blaming the young men themselves, who should, if they took time by the iordoclc, find paitl less attention to football and other sp°i't->, be able to map out a better track to health and prosperity than wasting the be&l pavt of their U\cg after leaving g<-hoql trotting iwm one fdotoi-y to another after a 7s 6cj per ucek job, obtaimHS which will eil&bia them to stay in town "just to s«e Bill Kindly kick « goal."