SHAREMILKING WORK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 67, 11 December 1937, Page 9

SHAREMILKING WORK

Minimum Conditions of Employment MINISTER'S STATEMF.NT > Th© Minister of Labour (Hon. H. T. Armstrong) advises that the condition3 for the employment of shaTemilkers have been nnder dischssion for soine | time and as a result minimum conditions have been agreed upon between the farmers' and workers' organisations. Legislation will be necessary to give elEect to this agreement and this is ready for introduction, but, owing to the amount of urgent business before the I^ouse and the desire to completo the first part of the session, it will not bo possiblo to bring down the proposed Bill before the adjournment. The Government hopes, however, that where Bharemilkers' agreements are not equal to the proposed minimum conditions, an alteration will be effected without waiting for legislation which will be dealt with at the earliest opportunity after Parliament reassembles. ■ The following are the agreed conditions where the farm' owner provides .the herd: — • 2. Any agreement shall be operative for the period specified. 2. Before entering into any agreement sharemilkers shall have made available to them the previous year's figures of production. 3. Sharemiikers whose duties comprise o^ly milking and care, feedin^ of stock, inclm.'ng pigs, shall receive not l$ss than 25 per cent. of milk and cream cheques and deferred payments. Where he also does maintenance work, he shall receive not less than 33 l-3rd per cent. in either case, after deduction | of cartage of cream and milk. He shall not contribute towards the payment of any shares or receive any benefit from the share bonus unless otherwise mutually agreed upon. 4. Sharemilker shall undertake care and custody of bull (s) and other stock and be responsible for damage done ■by wandering bull or other stock. ■' i 5. Sharemilker shall receive half.share of the value of calves valued as Igrades (including bobby calves) and ipigs. i 6. Calv.es for Tearing to be valued 'during January or February as mutual|ly agreed upon, the farm owner to take ■over the calves as at that date, ' 7. Calves for rearing for replaeemenfc shall be limited to 25 per cent. of herd and if any of these are not j iretained for replacement purposes the jproceeds of their sale shall go to the farm owner.

( 8. Both parties shall pay equally all1 j icosts of breeding sows and other pigs,' 'including cost of supplementary feed-' ' ing, cartage and commission. ■ 9. Farm owner shall provide reason- ! able facilities for housing and grazing j all pigs. 10. "Where farm owner provides j motor lorry for the purpose of earting I milk to the factory and for other farm j purposes the sharemilker shall pay one- j third of the cost of upkeep, benzine, oil and running costs, including registration and licenses and 20 per cent. depreciation. 11. Where the farm owner provide3 all implements and plant and equipment, sharemilker shall be responsible for any expense incurred through damage caused by neglect at the termination of the contract. In the case of dis- j pute a competent person shall be appointed acceptable to both parties to examine the equipment and decide the responsibility for payment. 12. All rubber-ware shall be in » satisfactory condition at commencement of contract and shall be left by ,the sharemilker in the same condition at termination. of contract, 13. Buckets, leg-ropes, and shed sihovel and brush-ware shall be supplifcd by sharemilker. 14. The sharemilker shall pay power costs for milking and water heating. 15. Farm owner shall have the right to determine factory or company to b® aupplied and whether milk or cream shall be supplied. 16. Cost of seed and manure for supplementary and/or winter crops shall be borne by the farm owner and the work shall be done by the sharemilker. 17. General farm work which shall be done on the farm shall be outlined at the commencement of the contract by the farm owner and so carried out by the sharemilker. 18. Cost of manure for maintonanca purposes, including cartage^ shall be borne by the farm owner. If parties desire additional manure the extra cost ■hall be borne by them in the same proportion as milk and cream cheques ara distributed. Sharemilker to apply same at owner 's directiou. 19. Tho kay-making and ensilagemaking for the herd shall be done bj the sharemilker. The cost of any addition&l labdur requirfid for that purpose to be borne equally between the farm owner and sharemilker. 20. The farm owner shall provide adequate water for stock, sheds and b.ousehold purposes. 21. Fences, hedges and drains to be maintaiued in a satisfactory state of repair by the sharemilker. New sublivision fences shall be erected by the ihareinilker, materials to be supplied by the fafm owner. 22. Farm owner shall pay for all aerd-testing (including herd tester's ooard). 23. Sharemilker shall provide and shall have complete control of all labour to be engaged by liini. 24. Sharemilker shall bear his proportion of deductions in connection tvith tho grading of milk and cream excejjfr in caso of neglect when sharemilker shall bear tho wholo of such deductions. 25. Farm owner shall supply all medicines, etc., for health of stock, same to be used by sharemilker as directed. Sharemilker "shall tako all p^tfossary precautions Jto preyent dis-

ease in the herd, and in case of disease shall notify farm owner immediately, but shall not be held responsible for disease or replacements of stock rendered necessary owing to disease, etc., but due to no neglect or fault of the sharemilker. 26. Sharemilker shall take all Teasonable care to eradicato and prevent the spread of noxious weeds — the cost of material to be borne by the farm owner. ' 27. Sharemilker shall whitewasn sheds when required by farm owner, but not more often than twice yearly, except at the expense of the farm owner. Material to be found by farm owner. 28. No additional stock (except replacement stock), including sheep, shall be grazed on milking paddocks used by the sharemilker, except by mutual consent and all culls shall be removed from milking paddocks within a reasonable time. 29. Milking must be efficiently carried out and farm workers shall be competent, but the number to be employed shall be mutually agreed upou between the farm owner and the sharemilker. If any worker is considered incompetent or objectionable by farm owner he may require the sharemilker to replaee such worker satisfactory to farm owner. 30. Sharemilker 's share of the cheque shall be paid by farmer direct into sharemilker 's banking account, oi direct to the sharemilker accompanied ! by copy of monthly statpment in either i case; settlement to be made within i tbree days of receipt of the money by i the farm owner. j 31. All moneys due to the sharemilker from pigs sold in farm owner 's name by sharemilker shall be paid over I to the sharemilker by the 25th of the month following the sale of same. 32. If either party does not propose to enter into another contract for a further period notice thereof shall be given to the other party not less than one month prior to the expiry of thfl cnrrent contract. 33. Farm owner shall pay all droving fees. 34. A stipulated number of cows to bo milked shall be stated in each contract, including the words "and not less than." 35. No sharemilker shall be allowed to employ any female in the shed, except with the consent of the farm i owner.

36. Sharemilker having to supply horses, wagons and cans, or any part of same, shall receive such additional amount as shall be agreed upon to the value of the equipment as at the commencement of the contract, but in no case less than 10 per cent. of such amount sto be paid in equal monthly instalments. 37. Farm owner shall dccide when tho ;ows are to be dried off. 38. In the event of a dispute arising out of the terrus of the contract each party shall appoint an arbitrator who shall decide, but in the event of their being unable to agree they shall appoint a third party whose decision shall be final. 39. There shall be no reduction during the period of the contract of the area available to the herd except by mutual agreement.