LABOUR MARKET.—MAY 2,1883.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 2, 4 May 1883, Page 13

LABOUR MARKET.— MAY 2, 1883.

P. M. Grant and Co., Labour Agents, report for the week ending 2nd May as follows : — Business has been very slow this week, owing to the inclement weather preventing all kinds of out-door work. Threshing, ploughing, bush, and contract works are entirely stopped, and in consequence a number of men are waiting engagements, especially general hands, rabbiters, and couples with families. For good ploughmen the demand is good ; couples (no encumbrance), wanted ; female servants, suitable for country service, hard to procure in sufficient numbers to meet orders : girls evidently prefer remaining at work in factories in town to the country, even when offered high wages. Current rates of wages for couples, £60 to £76 ; shepherds, £60 ; ploughmen, £50 to £60 ; gardeners, £65 per annum and found ; general hands, milkers, and grooms, 15s, 20s ; boys, youths, ss, 15s ; station cooks, carpenters and blacksmiths, 255, 30s ; notelmen, 15s, 20s ; cooks, barmen, 255, 50s per week and found ; day labour— road, rail, and bush, 6s, 8s per day. Tradesmen seem fairly employed at satisfactory wages. Wages for female servants, good ; housemaids, laundresses, waitresses, general servants for town hotels, 12s, 15s ; cooks, barmaids, 20s, 30s per week ; useful girls for stations, farms, country, £30 to £52 per annum.