CONTRACT RATES FOR SHEARING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 209, 20 September 1937, Page 4

CONTRACT RATES FOR SHEARING

^Considerable Reduction Will Have to be Made" FARMERS' VltWS The opinion that unless there was a very considerable reduction in the rate proposed by sliearing eontractors then very little shearing work would be car" ried out during the coming season by contract was e:vpressed tliis morning by one sheepfarmer. Otlier farmers agreed witb tliis view and were doubtful whether it would be -possible to have a fixed cpntraot l'ate for the W hole of the province. From the comment made it was clear tiiat the announcement of the meeting of shearing eontractors that tlie rate to be asked this season sliould be £3 18/a hundred, had. been discussed considerabJy among sheepfarmers during the week-end. "Unless it cpmes down to nearer £3, according to conditions pt work and the term of contraot, then I can see little, if any shearing being done by contract this season," said one farmer. He mentioned that be had spoken to a nuxnber of fellow farmers and they were in accordance with his views, Another farmer pointed out that it was almost, if not absolutely, impossible for one contract price to be established and operate equitably over any ' one large district, He pointed out that tliere wero widely different classes of sheep requiring to be shorn, the dates for shearing varied; tliere were real differences in' weather c-nditions « tlie size and locality of shearing sheds, These and many other points, he said, all had an important bearing on tlm average daily, and weekly, outpnt of the indiyidual sbearer and of tlie shearing gang. It was also pointed out that the terms of shearing contracts varied considerably. Farmers consider that contracts are essentially matters for arrangement between individual slieep-owner and contractor, and when such arrangement is being entered into special local conditions and requirements are taken into account.