CONCILIATION BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9210, 13 April 1908, Page 3

CONCILIATION BOARD.

FARM LABOURERS' DISPUTE. The taking of evidence in the farm labourers' dispute was continued at the Provincial Council Chambers this morning before the Conciliation Board, all the members being present except Mr Broadhcad. \ Thomas Bell Howson t Sedgmere, Leeston, said he was a farmer occupying 742 acres of freehold and 193 acres of leasehold. Witness first gave some rebutting evidence in connection with a statement made at Leeston by John Oberhuber, who said that he had been employed by witness at starvation wages. Witness had only employed him once, and, after an hour or two, i the man left without saying anything. jThat was about 1890, and in 1894 ho i was again working on witness's farm : with his father-in-law, who had taken, a stooking contract. j To Mr Thorn: Oberhuber had to keep his wife and two children, and pay 5s a week rent. Witness was to give him 6s a day for the work he engaged to do. Witness did not consider that a starvation wage; it was the regular current wag© of the time. Proceeding with his general evidence, witness said that he did not think there was any dissatisfaction in Hhe district, unless it was possibly caused aonc-ng casual hands. He had offered his two employees perfect freedom to go and give evidence before the Board, but they had not taken advantage of itj so he concluded they were not dissatisfied. Asked whether he thought an award would be an improvement, ho said that the .conditions should not be interfered witii at all. The arrangements should be left to be made by the employers and the employees, and set conditions would be impracticable, on account of the varying abilities of men. An award would be harassing, and he knew that on his own fara he would have to curtail many things and lessen the efficiency of his operations. In his experience, men got a fair share of the .farm proceeds, and the good men always got the good pay. He himself had, in the early days, got 85s a week and found, from "^Jocky Lee," whose other hands- got 23s a week and found. He had started at £1 a week and 30s a week for the harvest for another man, _ and went from him to Mr Lee. He did not think the wages and holidays could be worked at all. The holidays amounted to forty-two days, v. - he could not see why a farmer should have to pay for seven weeks on which no work was done. He had 1 given up dairying a month ago, because it interfered a great deal with the ordinary farmwwortk t and paid very poorly. He did not think that any people could stand increased wages in 1 dairying, except smafll men whose children, worked for them, and wealthier men who could afford to inatal milking machines. He did not believe in preference to Unionists; all he wanted was a man to do his work to suit him. He paid 22e a week to his men. As illustrating some of the exigencies of farming, ne said that his rape, kale and | turnip crops this year were a total failure. ___—■—-.