FARM LABOURERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13488, 9 January 1908, Page 7

FARM LABOURERS.

Thi-: roxciLiatiox r.oAiii)

'1 In- lloanl resumed its sittings at li.-t----iulline vesterday at 10 ti.ni.

The examination of the "witness A. J. Ilutt was continued by Mr Thorn. Witness said that if a fanner iraa paying for a competent ploughman he expected him to be able to put the crop in nncl take it out. There were ploughmen who could not set a. plough or work a drill, yet they were farm ploughmen. Got all the holidays he asked for. Usually got a fortnight at. Christinas and he also thought he got most of the holidays mentioned in the schedule. It might pay liini to do a contract, at a, lower rate than a man who had 110 land of his own, but he would not be making any more out of the contract. Did not .see why a man in his position would be likely to reduce the rates. Had sometimes made tip to Is 6d an hour at contracting. Did not work long hours when contracting. ' The contract system suited him better. Thought it was'worth something extra, when a. man had to cook his own food as at ploughing camps. Had done some draining for which he received Is-per hour and found his own gum boots. Thought that was- a fair rate for the work 10 years ago. Thought the wages asked for in the schedule generally were not too excessive.

Mr Kennedy examined the witness at considerable length without eliciting any fresh information.

To Mr Acland: Was given milk, mutton, butter, eggs, flour firing and vegetables at the place where he was employed as a married couple. Made on the average £BO or £9O a year, apart from his farm. His wife was not under anybody's orders when he. was awav.

To Mi' Jones : It- would not be possible for him to do work under hard and fust rules when away • from Iris farm. Made more from contracting than by wages. Hart always found the farmers reasonable with regard to wages. Did not think there was any occasion tor any alteration in the existing conditions. Under the contract i ysttifi of threshing lie was paid for clearing up the machine. :i'o .Mr Sheat: Had not worked for wages during the last five years. Incompetent ploughmen certainly did exist, but he had not come into contact with any men in the Geraldine district.

To -Mr liusbridge: Thought the average man ought to be able to do the werlc he had stated and thought the rat© asked was reasonable for such men. It was not too high for turnip work. To Mr Whiting: Could not definitely .-ay why the majority of farm laboureis were not competent. Would not say a ploughman was incompetent because he could not stack. Thought that 'half of the men were not- able to do the work without being shown. Thought a stacker was wort h fully 3d per hour more. Mr Acland called Bernard Tripp, manager for the executois of the late C. 0. Tripp. He said he had been manager for the last 16 years and for four years- prior he had been employed at different work on the station. Did not consider that a station could be worked under any definite fixed holiday. It was much better left, to the manager. He engaged musterers at £2 per week on the understanding that .they would have to work all hours when required. He allowed them a week off at Christmas, when work was ■ ;!ack and paid them for it. The trouble in regard to -tlie food was usually traceable to the cook. He was fortuante in having a good cook. Cooks gave a, good deal of trouble through going on the "booze," generally at the busiest time. Scene men liked their holidays at different times, some, in winter, some in summer. 'ljhtre had to be a good deal of give of give and take. With regard to Mr (Jo.time's statement that- it was. bread ami mutton and tea continually, he supplied his men with bread, butter, meat, cake, vegetables, and golden syrup.' We thought that generally the food oil most stations was better than Mr Guthrie had stated. His father had had 200, mostly swaggers in one night. They got free meals and took a snack away. Thought there would be about 500' calling iin a year. Thought tlia conditions' of the men had been improved during recent years. Could not carry on the station successfully on the conditions in the schedule. Did a good ileal of work by contract, such as gorsecutting. Let ona man a contract to plough virgin stoney ground at 13s an acre. When lis asked the man if he had clone well and lie said no, he raised the price to 15s as he was pleased with Ihe manner in which the work was done. To Mr Slieat: Did not know of a case where a, man had not made a living wage at contracting. Did not know of any dissatisfaction among his men. Wages had gone up quite 25 per .cent, during the past 10 years. He ploughed about 1100 acres annually, mostly by contract. Let them have .horses and implements, stiaw chaff and chaff at 3d a bag and oats at Is 6d per bushel, and they had to find their own food. Had found this system work well during the last' three years. It saved a good deal of supervision. Ho had good m.-n at the work. Th? nun were satisfied with the system. Understood that the demands would abolish any (such system. The men could stop when they pleased. Could not work under those coniiiticus.

To Mr 7lhorn : Did not know -whether ;i 11 stations hacl such good conditions as his. Did not know of any particular casa where bad conditions prevailed. Had no incompetent men in his employ. If he (Mv Thorn) came- to his place for a Wi-ek lie might be able to fix an award. A man would often be- working at different cla.v es of work in the course of a few days. Men were taken on as shepherds but they were expected to do other work when things were- ."lack in ihf mustering lii:.'. Did not. e that it was possible to iW a unifoint minimum wage in view of the different work that tin'- Bad ro undvrtafc: 35s a wc;-k \va .. I-..' enough miniIlllltli for a. bit- p'ac. . ~:i. a high one foi small place. Loii.-i i...t >;\v what- was a minimum wa:,v; it a l d; jiended what ;i man »s< «m !i. lie- paid his head siieplier-l £>llo a- y iir. i'id not thin;v it [.-o-.-iib:. to ii\ a niini-iraai for a man witli 10'„J or 15.L..0 .-beep. There was such a difl'e m.e iu the class of country. (.Save h : s i.urn.,) :• w»st«reie £2 a week for lour mm. and the winter innt-1-erer.s I'l'S a ria->.

Hi : Thought rather that it was r ;io, sh able rather than impossible in i.i in. uresis of burn men ami 1 master id :• minimum-, It would b.in c..rry nut such an award'. It v."on Id lie i iu<: td be broken. A good man was Hiii tii a. gout wage. The- object of eal.ing lenders wa.s because some m?n might tlno ugh favourable circumstanctis, such as nsarii-'.-s to ilit- work, bt* able io do it cheaper and make the sum; profit as dUieiis.

To Mr Kennedy: I'aitl ICs a day for short mustering in the winier or autumn. Jt a man had to lrr 3 e a- day to go to his employment, it would be fair to pay him for that. It wa.s quite an ordinary occurence for lnuslcrers to do other wolk. The men who did all kinds of odd woik got £65 to £75 a. year and found. A man put- on just for the lambing season would be worth from 30s to £2 a week. Plenty would be cheap at £2 a west, and plenty dear at 50:s : it would depend so much 'on the number <>f shef-p «, man bad to look alter. He would expect a man to look after 1000 «vts at 3;'s a week. Paid his cook 30s a w<". k and ICs bomv; ;ii she;:] i:'.g. vh:rh lie ''i■ >i■ 11 was a. fair wag I'm- a 11 tnun 2 ; ! to 70 in. o in cm.'!: !nr. ! in* m-iiU l ripiii ed an ixtr.i man when !';i- i:iiiob-.r

of men got over 3C. Times were bud ;1 11 mvr when they gut so many swaggevw. \Vages would kei-p up so lung' as wool and mutton ami iamb kepi up in pi ice. A. i'armer could noi pay wages it lie wan not making any profit. If there were a. lot of men out, of work timvs wouluf U» had a pill t from their cutting agaii.M each other. Did nut think there were a."- many competent men employed now as there used to be, uu tlie younger men were not coming on and olivets had taken farms of

ihviv own. Mr Evans called John South, fanner at Orari Bridge, who at arted ploughing at 18 yeais for Mr Deßenzy at Winchester ior 15s per week. four years afterwards he went to Mr Ttipp's sorting pieces, and men worked ac a, liaxmili: Ad 24 yea.is of age he had saved enough money to pay a deposit of £llO for 61l acres. Afterwards sold this and took 200 acres. A moneylender advanced him a good deal on his name, he thought at 8 per cent. (Laughter.) He cou.d not. 'carry on his farm on the conditions submitted L>y the Union or any Jiurd and fast rules. He considered that he. would - be able to do only 7 hours at ploughing: at the nio*iL under the schedule hours on his fattn. He had a man waiting all that d'ay to start stacking his grain. Was paving his boy (aged 18) £1 a week. He had to strike out himself, the hid was not competent to do all such work. Believed ill contract threshing rather limn by the hour. Could not work his farm and give ihe holidays asked. If V>uch an awaid were made he could not carry on his farm. A man working for him at'-turnip-hoeing made llt» 6d a day contracting. Pound that men had two distinct gears —one for the acre and one by the. day. Had jio.i heard of any dissatisfaction till a month ago.

To Mr Thorne: If ho had to pay 270 6d a week he could not do it. though lie might try to go 011 with • the fanning. The boy worked 8 hours in lhe chains, and looked after the horseij himself. It would take lialf an hour from the time he left his breakfast until lie had yoked up. He would work only "about houi'i in the chains under the -proposed rules. He subsequently admitted that- he. could get in 7 hours, which was not enough for the- wages asked. 15y feeding the horses in the paddock the work -could be done between 6 a.ni;. and 8 p.m. ■ Had spoken 10 over a dozen men, and had not found one of thc-m dissatisfied. Gave his men lr> Id at harvest- time, and this was his limit. A boy under 16 would not be able to lift the plough out. of the ground if necessary. He would not like to trust a. bov of 16 with the t£;m<.. The majority of the men in the Geraldine district were incompetent. Thought a competent man should be able to put ill thoi crop and do all the work in connection with it-. It depended entirely on whether ho were 11ui-:y oi not what holidays lie gave his boy. The witness was examined at length rr-s to his definition of a competent man, and a good difynl of healed discussion took place.