SHEARERS WAGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13638, 4 July 1908, Page 3

SHEARERS WAGES.

EVIDENCE OF SOUTH CANTERBURY GRAZIERS.

Giving evidence before the Arbitration Court in Christchurch oil Thursday in connection with tha demands of thq Shearers' Union, H. D. Acland stated that he was part owner of Mount l'eel station, in South Canterbury. More than half of Ms sheep were llalf-breds, a few were three-quarter-breds and the balance were merinoes. FifUrji or sixteen years ago they had nothing but merinoes, but now they were getting more and more cross-breds. This was to the advantage of the shearers. Sheep were now somewhat heavier lleeced than formerly, but they were smaller, and, he considered, easier to shear than fifteen years ago. Then breeders had gone solely for the wool, -now everybody went for tha mutton. Th 6 witness went through the demands at length, meeting the arguments in their favour. Continuing, he said that die increase in the Australian award had been given to restore the earnings of the men to what they were tifteeu «.r sixteen years ago, and Judge O'Connor bad made a special exemption in regard to Victoria, on llie ground that cross-breds were coming in more, and were admittedly eas>i■■ i to shear. New Zealand was a mere paddock compared with Australia, and the travelling expenses were practicolly nil. Thomas John Teschemaker, owner of Otaio station, Sou.Ji Canterbury, eaid that he had been connected with tlie wool industry for over fifty years. When the prrsent agreement was made the price pf wool had been 40 per cent, giva.er than jf. was now. It would not do to fiy wages by th.e price of commodities. The question of daggy sl|eep had come up at the first conference, the understanding being that any daggy sjieep OY<-y 25 per cent, were to be paid for at a special rate. At the second conference the shearera h»4 agreed to throw out the clause, ift View" oi ponc€r>sjon in. price. lhe »*ork was included jn 1 ii f ' pHP® I"'* l ' lie generally did fhe »"oi'k by cpntraci, the present priue llfiflg 3 s per 500 and found. To knock off at noun on ,Sati!rdav was ridiculous, unless the nwn had already worked their forty-eight- hoiin; and twentv minutes. He had prepared a table of'the wagts earned by his men. showing that each man had earned on an ayerage £4 12s 2d per week and found, the table including broken time. Sheep were easier f.Q sfiear row, './ut, the m-*n were not SO good as they used to |;e- The question of wet- 6heep was a vexed one, but it was certainly not in the interests of any owner t» shear wet sheep. He had always employed contract cooks, and no complaints had ever been made regarding them.