THE SWAGGER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 5

THE SWAGGER.

. ;..,'-.; (FROM ;...' ,v .; : ' . "'■ '''-■'■ Cfirlstchui'ch, Ddcerabp 21. . '.-'■■' .S_6mß''interesting:factSVc6n'ne'6ted 1 with the: ■■ pw£j&&ysN&''mehti6ne& h\TMr. ''J'? C:'" N. Grigg .at ..'the Board at" Ashbpr-, ton/ 'lii'explaining'.that;'therlarge' amounts; ; qrfppd "given. at Lbngbeach ;t6;-." travellers•"' £350 in'.one 'year'. and £500 'in'''another,, lie '.'stated that .iji bad years .it.'was'not unuS'nal' for '.twenty ; or twenty-five men '.to call' in one day. -Those who arrived.'on Saturday did' not walk oh till Moiiday,'and'got; three meals'oh Sunday: ih addition to tea on Saturday evening aha br'e'akfast bnMonday morning. Providing oh these -lines soon ran'into'money. 'Thepfacticp.'in .America, was!'.that unless..a tramp coiild-.shbw half a'dollar he had to walk on. Ddaling with tho origin of farmers'-.giving ratirins'.- to -swaggers, ho'. said ■ that it ;datcd back;to the convict days in .Australia," when »' convict'; could- not -take wages, but could demand food, lodging and clothing. In those early / :;.days '.the.'settlors -in iNow- Sjatn Wales we're', glad to' get'men.; .'WKeh New Zealand the system was introduced hero, litifci ; whereas; the 'New;South-.-Wales convict has a ; right ; tb' demand food and shelter, no' ghch--right' existed' in' tliis country, and .he did .'not-think..that,there was any-absolute necessity on ;'the part: of. farmers to-give. nations ■to 'swaggers.< ,He% did not: mention the matter '•■ as' a threat,; but; to show briefly • how the:practice'had come about. ■• . . ■■■'." ' .Ihi answer,.to Mr'. Kennedy, one of tho ' Union : representatives,\;Mr. Gngg said that ihb. figures he-had-given wore, based on a Aarge of,Bd. or 9d. per:meal.. :In addition, men usually:took with them.sufficient rations for, lunch, but these .'were not'included in thb figures.which had been kept: by the station cook, ; .7 .' ,-,