RECENT LABOUR DEMANDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 23

RECENT LA BOUR DEMANDS.

AN EPICUREAN WORKER. "When the Musterers and Shepherds' dispute was before the Arbitrat'on Court in •Donedin last week, Mr W. Scott, who conducted the case for the sheepowners, stated, when discussing the workers' demand for "one pound of butter per man per week," that the employers had no objection to the men getting butter. As a matter of fact, they got it now, but w.hat was objected to was the embodying of it in an award of the court. If butter were (provided for in the award, the next time the dispute was before it the court would •bo asked, to provide for jam. pickles, t-cmato sauce, and plum pudding — in fact, quite recently on a station in Otago the T)iusterer3 had struck for these items, — and in the end the responsibility would be thrown on the court of working out a da-ily menu for all sheep stations in the Doininion, and, further, if a sheepowner lan out of any of the provisions specified H-e -wotil-cI be liable to- l>e prosecuted for- a. breach of award. The workers' representative an-d the workers present ridiculed the idea. At the Oamaru sitting on Wednesday Mr Scott produced a copy of the shearers' demands in Canterbury, and very humorously read clause 29 to the court. The clause reads as follows : — '" The employer shall supply the following rations free of cost to the shearers: — Oatmeal, tea, coffee, sugar, flour, rice, sago, currants, raisins, fine salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, butter (not less than lib weight per week per man), jam, milk, vegetables (to include cabbage, potatoes, and onions), mutton or beef, baking powder, cream of tartar, carbonate of soda, hops, dried apples, and ourry powder, the same to be cooked in a ■wholesome manner and servefl in sufficient quantity. The employer shall also provide at the shearing shed a properly-oon-etructed fly-proof meateefe for the use of the shearers' cook. No food shall be supplied to shearers by contract cooks.