FARM LABOURERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13489, 10 January 1908, Page 6

FARM LABOURERS.

THE CONCILIATION BOARD.

At the sitting of the Board at Geraldine yesterday, the following evidence w;.s taken William .Steven Maslin, agricultural farmer, said he had seen the> progress made by individuals from workeis to proprietors The condition in tlio.se days were less favourable to progress than at the present time. Had been forced to the conclusion that the demands were impracticable, and would seriously militate against the fanning industry. Owing to tile diversity of sale and system of larining it could not be done by a hard and fast set of rules. Speaking of hill-couniry ploughing the teams started veiy late on account of the frcst on the spuis. Had been stopped for as long as 5 or 6 weeks at one xune on account of the frost. In hot weather the teams stopped for an. extra hour or two in the middle of the day, and this was made up as tar as p'~ssible in tlie cool of the evening. To fix set hours would prevent him sending his team to Geraldine as he could not get back again in the eight hours. Did not get on an average anything like 40 hours. He. would be .satisfied with 7 hours in the chains on the average for the year, not allowing for w<rt weather. Working on clay .-oils it was some time even after the iain had stopped before work could be resumed. To Mr Minson : His average would possibly be brought; down to 35 hours per week, making allowance for time lest, through the wet weather. It- depended a good deal on whether the season was a wet or dry one. Did not think it possible or practicable to fix a wage owing to the difficulty of r.r&ceing a man's value. Had mixed with all classes of the community, and had heard no dissatisfaction with the elastic conditions pertaining at the present time. Had never had any difficulty with anyone working for him. Coming to the matter of boys the conditions in the schedule would preclude their employment. If boys waited till they were 16 they would not go on at farm at all. The work done with two hotfr.s required a much more skilful man than was required by four or six horsc-s. Tii' only work done on the farm with two horses was making ridges for turnips. He would not put- a boy on a. grass mower though it was a two-liorse jib. Dray work wan harder for a boy than ploughing. Ap> to preference to unionists it- was one of the most atrocioi:-., things to |j.> indicted on a fanner. Familv life was much more developed in the fanii than in town. There were many in good positions to-day who owed their start to the as-istance given from the common -lock. Tliti; spirit should be encouraged rather than discouraged, which would not b? the rase if farciit-is" sons should become unionist?-. Believed in eveiy man having the freedom to dispose of his lab>u;\ as he thought best to himself, and to attempt to coerce any man inlo joining a union was deserving of the utrongest reprobation. Believed in contract, as it gave tile man of good phy»iiju:> and pluck an opportunity of rising to a better position. Most good contractors made tnri'.e than ordinary day labourers. If such in-II V. --1 V tied down to llje h y.-l :<f the ordinary labouivr it was doing thiTii a distinct injustice. If men weiv not allowed to work by contract they would in npny cases be prevented from doing the work at- all. Contractors worked jn.t such time suiu-d lhs-m. Tii - riystem ii;t 1 no I: <: in litS.-iir:: into competition with e;tch other. Hdid a lot of ploughing on -t.-ep !:

and ;i man could work a thrc-e-furrnw plough with a seat on. His rxporience was "that a man preferred a three furrow plough with <:iv horses and a ;;at than walking with a four tram. He had emplov.-d a man 69 \vats >•! itge. si.v bonis on undulating and sidling land, and lw was able • !.. th.- work as well as any olh.-r Tirm. wh-u the lu>i>v» wrte yoked. Paid liiin 25.- a wt-ek. lie w;/a rather ;!mr at yoking up. Mi- Ma'slin. in reply to M.:; t- Mir.iioii, fr-h.-at. Jones. Kennedy. 'thorn. alia oHr-iis. defined «j"<-11 =i 11 tarui land. eonip.tent men, hours ol wiwk. <ic. A: the c'o?-- nt Mr lengthy -ex--r.lllinr.tiui:. Mr Evan?. eaih-d James Wood, who had gjwii vvi.! lie.- in Timaru, and ram.* voluntarily to give evidence in regard tf asi at "ii:.n: that lie had neen in t!i<- p.r that morning with regard to <!i.- ,-vi'i. Kc-- of tii.- witiVMi Brien. Wood Mtid that, lie was at Mr Taylor's, Clande-i-.i.v. . l)--foie I'.ii.n. and struck out for ,:i h- was working the first team. Ha I gt>L a reference which stated that ii: w.-:.» a thoroughly competent man with l:oi-•. Had met "with an accident, and had to pay for all his expenses himself. The insurance had run out, but Mr Taylor gave him £25 on the undertaking that lie would forego any future claim he might have. H-e got no payment for the six months he was laid up; meantime linen was getting £2 per week. Brien was mistakdi when he said that he (witness) had got money from his mother-in-law, and that he (Brien) had shown withow to fit a plough. To ill- Minson : It was about four years ago that he and Urien were working at Taylors. Mr Evans c;dled Erni-st fiobbs, aged 27 years, a labourer at IV.tuu 1;a. who said he did not agree with tiie (U-iuand. He objected to contracting being abolished. It was their own fault if men took contracts at low rates. Had M -.-n men who only made A---, and he could haw made lCu a day at the same contract.-. Was making 12s a day on hi; pres.nt contracts. Believed in contract harvesting as it enabled him to make more. Other men did not seem to care m> io:ig as they ma>le "tucker." Reckon--.-(1 a good man did not- want to join the union, many of whc&e. mem be is could not do a good day's work, and wanted some one ejie to do it for them. 6s <v day was not .sufficient for a casual labourer, worth at least 7s. Some he would give 4s a day to kt-ep off the place, lie was getting all he wanted at present. He had been talking to some of tuc men, who Mtid that the half holiday proposal was ridiculous, as they only hud to ask Mr Holies ton and they -would get a. day whenever they wanted. The membeis of Ihi union that he- knew did not represent tile good workers. Two-thirds of the men who made bad wages on their contracts weiv incompetent. Knew 30 or 40 of tlieni. Hie only reason why they did not make better wages was lazing.-. When he took a contract harvesting he> got men to help him, and he paid them !:•> p;r hour. Some of them were not worth 2d per hour. To Mr 'lhorn : The men could do their washing once a month, and it would not take them long then. When he took a> man on to help him with his contract it \va; only for a day or two. Ho made about Zx 6d an hour, and the man whom he paid Ik an hour had to keep up with him. Mr Jones called Patrick Mulvihill, farmer, with 9CO acres at Pleasant Valley. Hail been at farming work ever since he was able. Was allowed to go away shearing at which he mado a £3O or £4O cheque. Found cropping a veiy risky business- Had had his stack; ait blown about the paddock during his alxsence, and he lost all the crop. If he had had to pay £2 15s a week he would have left tlis crop on tile ground. Witness gave, a graphic description of the troubles of harvesting. If a hard and fast i>:t of rules were made it would ba> very detrimental to the fanning community. Had given up cropping and gone in for sheep, but sheep-farming was not all plain sailing.- Referring to the horns on the schedule, and asked how it would be carried out. witness said that was just what he wanted to know, how they could leave their breakfast and the stable at the same time in any weather. Had to stop ploughing, for weelcs at a time on account of the frost.