FARM WAGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13867, 1 April 1909, Page 7

FARM WAGES.

To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald." Sir,—A good deal has been heard lately of the supposed grievances of immigrants "to the Dominion, who" say that they have been induced by various misrepresentations to come out here to better themselves, only to find that they are not wanted. With regard to trades this may or may not be true, but it is certainly not so, as far as farm labour is concerned, for there is plenty of room in South Canterbury for a steady supply, and the - action lately taken by a northern branch of the Farmers;' "Union in impressing this fact on the Immigration Department is no doubt fully justified. ' It seems to me that our" Labour Unions here are the cause of farm labourers not finding immediate employment, by bringing pressure to bear in preventing any wages lower than 25s per week and board being accepted. I lately applied to the Wellington Labour Bureau for two men, one as junior ploughman and the other as general farm hand at 22* 6d per week for the first half year, and 25s afterwards. The reply came back: '• We cannot supply a man for you, unless you are prepared to offer 25s per week to start with. We have several good men on the books, but they will not accept less than the amount stated." Considering that these men have to be taught our ways of doing the work, and the run of our machinery, the wages of 22s 6d for a start seems as much as a fanner can now give. My head ploughman gets 30s per week, but his experience is worth it, and probably his services would still be better value to me than the man at 22s 6d; The Labour Unions seem to . shut their eyes to the fact that the profits from farming now are very, much reduced from what they were a year or two ago. Wool fell some £5 pei« bale in 1908, and is still very I°*" = oats are worth less than half of laat vear's value; fat lambs are some 3s to 4s per head lower than last year s prices, and the loss on fat- sheep is oven worse. These are only some of the farmers' difficulties, without touching upon the stringency of the money market and all its concomitant evils, or even the lower value of all his stock. Store sheep have lately fallen from 3s io 4s per head, in sympathy with -he. depreciated value of fat lamos, which mav be permanent and. .the values or stores are likely to fall even lurther; especially breeding ewes. . , The stock argument so often macie use of bv the Labour Unions that the cost of "living in New Zealand is so 5 as to instify a high rate of wages "an item that should be placed to the "edit side of the farmer, as we find everything,-! am, etc., ver^AS. __