SHEARING IN AMERICA,

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 866, 12 July 1910, Page 8

SHEARING IN AMERICA,

MORE WOOL, MORE PAY. (To the Editor.] Sir,—ln these days of disagreement between shearers and sheep-owners, of conferences to mediate (with, 'apparently, no result), of thrcateninge of trouble, etc., it is refreshing to readby way of a change—how sheep we shorn in other countries, io I enclose you a. cutting from a recent American sheep paper to hand, viz., the "Shepherd's Journal," of May 10, which shows how shearing ib carried out and paid for, in one part of the State of Dtah, United States of America: "Oneband of 2500 Cotswold sheep belonging to M. A. Smith, of Heber, returned an unusually heavy fleece, the- lightest fleece being ten pounds. At this shearing plant there are sixty shearers employed. ■ The company has adopted a new plan regarding the wages of shearers; that is, the shearers receive 7 cents por head for fleece!) of seven pounds or less and one-half cent, is added for all fleeces that weigh over seven pounds. It ie said that it is to the advantage of the shearers, and it has a tendency to prevent strikes, for the shearer can make a remarkably close guess as to the weight of a fleece, and ho knows that for every one weighing over soven pounds ho lias a hal&ent! added to his pay. The result is more careful shearing. The shearers at this corral are all natives of Utah. Thev shear an average of 4200 sheep every day, an average of seventy to each shearer, although there are several of the sheep shearers who will shear 125 3heop a day. Shearers at this corral sign a contract with the owners for the season, and agree to forfeit 25 per cent, of their earnings should a strike occur. On the other hand, the company agrees to pay sixty shearer? 40 dollars per hour if thero are no sheep in the corral when neo'led. The men pay 25 cents a meal at the boardinghouse. In all, there arc eighty-five people employer] at the corral." —I am, etc., SALOP. Feilding, July 8, 1910. Noxions weeds seem to have no espesial terror for Eanjitikei people, says a Banjitikoi contributor to a Taranaki paper. One has only to ride for a very few miles along the roads to get as Rood i collection as could be desired, and in ioanr places ths gorso hedges are yards wide". It is not very long ago that some member of the Bangitikei County Council 'impressed the opinion that one weedpenny royal—should be- struck off the schedule, as it had got too great a hold to ever be got rid of.