CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 7606, 2 November 1903, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Labour Market.

[tO THB EDITOB.J Sir,—l see there are somo farmers who are agitating for more labour to bo imported into the Colony. Tho reason is obvious, " cheaper labour." The farmers know as well as Ido that thero is no scarcity of men able to turn their hand to anything that is required in this Colony, on a station or in an orchard, and willing t0 do it at fa , t s Qnd clean accommodation, and most of tbe men are only too anxious to bo kept oil the road. In the occupation I am folowmg here, I havo a good cbanco to judge tho men on the road looking for work, as we average two men every day in the year looking for work. The small farmers don't, or, I should say, will not sec these men. If they do, at an odd chance, want some help, they expect tho man o turn up just after breakfast tirno and start work straight away. I will not fi I your valuable space with tho scores of tales I have heard how British workmen have been treated: it is quite enough to say that the men who call themselves farmers, (I add the word small farmers, as there is a vast difference between them and the settler) treat men they engago as if they were dirt or slaves, a thing they dare not do in England at the present day. I was on the road looking for work and asking every likely person, but not till I had walked over two hundred miles, foot sore and "played out," and fully determined to work for my tucker only if nothing turned up, I struck a job. A farmer asked me if I could milk. I had swornnever to milk again, and I said " Yes." "Well," he said, " I haven't many cows, and this is only a small place (1000 acres) and very little to do but milk, so I can only give 10s per week." I did not trouble to think about tho wages, bus L Um P° d in to the pig yard to give him a hand to ring some pigs. After working in the pig yard for two hours, it was now" 1.30 p.m. 1 asked him if ho had had his dinner. He said, " Ob, no 1 but we will go in doors and get it." I had walked fourteen miles that morning, and only had some dry bread I had with me for breakfast. We went into the house to find the fire out, and his wife said, " I did not know you would be in to lunch." I may here state honestly that this woman, a colonial, could not, and did not, bake a loaf of bread, make a pudding, or a pie, the three months I was there. I often made the dinner mysolf. After lunch (not fit to put in front of a man), I asked w _ erQ . j • waß to ?leep< i Ihis seemed to remind him he had not given that part of tho engagement a , thought. He took me into a place (I kept rabbits at Home in a far better place), Bft. 6in. wide, alongside a oart- [ shed and fowl-house very ' foul. The dirt had neverhSKTeaned ' out since it was put up. There was no window in my room, but I could close ! the door and read tlie Daily Times ' without glasses,. I cannot go further into details about accommodation, as i there simply was none. Yes; you should i talk about importing more labour. After i finishing the pigaat 4.80, he said, "Now b I will give you a hand with tbe cows." The few consisted of twelve; and he > told me I had to have them milked before i breakfast. After breakfast—l will not trouble you about the tucker* as tho i small farmers know too well what they i give—l had to follow him all day. He i was ploughing, and I was planting [ potatoes. For three months I worked a r full day's work, draining, fencing, i dagging, etc., and had to milk from nine , to sixteen cows night and morningin my . spare time; and I can honestly Bay ' worked as hard all day as when I have ' been contract road-making, and making r 13d per hour. After I had made a few | pounds, I thought I would look out for a better billet, so I advertised in a daily paper, and heard of something to suit me. So I saw the farmer, and asked him if he would rise my wages, but he • said " No." Tho trouble I had to get ; paid I will not mention. I Bhould 1 like some of these farmers to 1 take their stand some day at Mr Buchanan's, Mr Beetham's or on the ■ Coast, and they would find it a very common thing to see twelve men in one day looking for work, and I am speakingv of to-day not in mid-winter. If they apply to you, Mr Editor, you will be ablo : to say that in reply to a single advertisement in the Daily Times for a gardener i you had over a dozen. men applied, and ,at this time of year. I know a stationi owner, who pays fair wages and treats his men as British workmen, and has no difficulty in getting men. I know places ' that do so and thoy always have plenty 1 of men, who have worked on tho place l 1 year after year. I say if I thought thesefarmers were going to agitate and tell lies. ; to men at Home, 1 would do my littla bit through the newspapers at Home to • tell them the true Btate of affairs. You 1 must forgjve me, Mr Editor, for trespassing on your valuable space so muoh; ■ but after knowing that there are so many ■ good workmen out of work in the Colony i 1 think it madness to talk about tbe • scarcity of good all-round men.—l am, ) etc., Fair All-round.