TO £14 A WEEK

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20088, 7 November 1939, Page 7

TO £l4 A WEEK

FARM CONTRACTS

EMPLOYMENT SCHEME

EARNINGS OF WORKERS

GISBORNE PAYMENTS REPLY TO CRITICISM Registered unemployed men working under the No, 4B farm contract scheme have earned up to £l4 per week in the Gisborne district recently, according to a statement made to-day by Mr. T. A. N. Johnson, registrar for the Social Security Department. Mr. Johnson replied to criticism regarding low wages, and gave a number of instances of payments made to men working under the scheme during recent months. The rate of £l4 a week was the payment secured by two men over a fortnight on a contract grubbing rushes, and while Mr. Johnson agreed that that was an exceptional ease, he quoted a number of men whose earnings over periods of several weeks had exceeded £6 a week. The scheme was worked in conjunction with the Lands Department, who valued the jobs and arranged the details with the farmers concerned, while the Social Security Department secured the men from the list of registered unemployed. The farmers were required to find transport and accommodation. In some cases the men were accommodated in tents, so that they could be near their jobs, while in other instances shearing accommodation was made available.

The work was strictly on a contract basis, and the men could do the work in their own time. In most cases where the men had stuck to their jobs and seen them through, they had done well, although when the workers had left their jobs shortly after the start the basis of payments was often low.

Instances Quoted

Taking a number of instances, both good and indifferent, which were before him to-day, Mr, Johnson quoted figures in connection with the following contracts: — Scrub cutting, 200 acres, contract price £Bo.—One man worked for 52 days over a period of 9 weeks 1 day and earned £54; another man worked 39 days over a period of 7 weeks 1 day and earned £32. In the first instance the average weekly earning was nearly £6 a week and in the other slightly more than £4. Grubbing rushes, 50 acres, contract price £s6.—Two men working for two weeks earned £2B each, an average of £l4 a week. The original price was £SO, but the men had worked so well that the farmer added £6. Even without the bonus the men had earned £l2 10s a week.

Building a dam, contract price £25. Two men working for eight clays over a period of 1 week 2 days earned £l2 10s each. Three Men a( £9 a Week Scrub cutting, 104 acres, contract price £lB2. —Three men working 351 days over a period of 5 weeks 6 days earned £54 each, an average of £9 a week. One man working intermittently for 20 days earned £2O. Scrub cutting, CO acres, contract price £los.—Two men working for 46 days over a period of 7 weeks 4 days earned £52 10s each, an average of more than £6 10s a week. Scrub cutting, 93 acres, contract price £162 15s. —Four men working 47 days over a period of 8 weeks 5 days earned £4O 13s 9d each, an average of under £5 a week. Fencing, 30 chains, contract price £22 10s.—One man working 21 days over a period of 3 weeks 6 days earned £22 10s, an average of more than £5 10s a week.

Scrub cutting, 30 acres, contract price £3O. —One man working 20 days over a period of 3 weeks 6 days earned £3O, an average of £7 10s a week. Scrub cutting, 45 acres, .contract price £4O. —Two men worked over a period of 2 weeks 6 days and earned £2O, an average of more than £6 13s a week.

Clearing; Rushes

Clearing rushes, 50 acres, including some scrub, contract price £4O. —Two men over a period of 3 weeks 2 days earned £2O each, an average of more than £6 a week.

Drain digging, 15 chains, contract price £l2.—One man over a period of 2 weeks 5 days earned £l2, an average of more than £4 a week. Clearing rushes, 200 acres, contract price £6o.—Two men over a period of 5 weeks earned £3O each, an average of £6 a week. Some of the areas in scrub mentioned above were not thickly covered, but were scattered. In all cases the men were required to find their own food. This was often arranged through the farmer. Arrangements also were made for progress payments, but single men usually desired their money to be paid in a lump sum at the completion of the contracts.