Sugar Slaves in Queensland.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 15, 16 June 1911, Page 4

Sugar Slaves in Queensland.

Why There Is a Strike.

By HARRY HALL,. "(District Secretary, A.W.A., Bundaberg.)

The Capitalistic Press throughout Australia and New Zealand has on many occasions boasted of the enormous cheques earned by sugar workers in Queensland during the harvest

period.

Now, I want to give the workers of Australia and New Zealand a true idea of the wages and conditions that these ''slaves' , work under, hoping that they will think well and write for information before they venture to leave their homes for the sugar plantations.

CONTRACT SYSTEM.—Tho men generally work in gangs of 10 each (nine men and a cook), all sharing aliJie in the earnings of the gang. They work under a "cast-iron" code of rules called an agreement, which the men have no voice in framing, all the clauses in it being in favour of the employers and not one in favour of the men. They can be discharged at a minute's notice, but they cannot leave themselves; if they do, they are stopped '25 per cent, of their earnings, wmch is lield back until the compiecwjii of their contract, which varies trom three to six monclis. Tliey are housed in tents, and supplied with stretchers (canvas or bag bunks), for which tliey are charged rent, at Is per week per man, so you see that a gang of 10 men pay iJ'J per month, or in a season of six months £13,. and they have to return tents, etc., to the employers on the completion of their conoract, m good order and condition. Tne cutting prices vary from 3s 3d to 5s per ton, according to the crop, the bulk, of tne cane being paid for at the rate of 4s per ton. Under these conditions the men are compelled to work all hours to make anything like a wage, and the usual number of hours worked is from 12 to 15 per day. Some of the gangs average in that time about £3 per week— an odd gang may earn a little more ; but the majority of the gangs earn lees than £3 per week, or, to put it to an hourly rate, and average the best gangs •with the others, they don't average more than per hour, and out of that they have to keep themselves- So much for the enormous cheques earned by contract cane-cutters.

DAY SYSTEM.—Ten hours per day is worked under this system, for which the men aro paid os and .keep, and very inferior keep at that; no butter in most places, black tea, no vegetables, excepting pumpkins now and then.

OFF-SEASON WAGES.—When the crushing season is over the men are put "chipping" weeds and doing general cultivation work, for which they are paid 4£d per hour and keep, and during vhe "wet season" the men do not average more than 13s per week, and if a heavy batch of ram comes that may last a few days the men are paid oif, and told to come back when the weather "fines up."

This coming season the A.W.A. endeavoured to get a conference with the object of getting better wages and conditions for the sugar workers, but the Sugar Czars' Association refused to meet us to discuss conditions, etc., so we have framed a schedule of wages and conditions for the coming season, and if they don't concede us what we ask vhere will be a general cessation of work in all the sugar districts of Queensland.

So I woxild strongly advise all men thinking of coming to Queensland for the sugar season this year to keep %way until a settlement is arrived a"U Any of the district secretaries will be only too pleased to give all information to men intending to have a try at cane-cutting in Queensland if they write.

(Reference is made elsewhere to the eugar slaves , strike now on in Queensland. This article was written .before the strike took place.—Ed.)