Labour at 7d an Hour.

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 250, 25 October 1939, Page 2

Labour at 7d an Hour.

Hawke’s Bay fruitgrowers were, keenly interested to learn from Mr- . A. Osborne, general manager of tlnV New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Association at a meeting in Hastings recently that wages paid in the orchard he .England were about 7d an hour. They were forced to smile, however, when. Mr. Osborne added that they received only about 7d worth of it, too. A Compulsory Change. “What happens when you have iuttuen/.ii or go for a holiday?” asked K Mr. Justice Northcroft of an analytical chemist who asked in the Supreme Court. Christchurch, to be excused jury service on the grounds that lie. - was the only man in his organisation who could do his work, states the Press. The juryman replied that In' had not had a holiday for 20 years, and that lie had not been laid up lor 10 years. “Well,” replied His Honour, in refusing the application. “L 4 think in the circumstances that I. will he doing you a kindness by giving you. some other work for a change.’’ Magpies Worry Tuis. It was mentioned at a recent meeting of the executive of the Forest and Bird Protection Society that magpies persistently worried tuis in Wilton’s Bush (the Wellington Municipality ’s reserve of native forest in the ■* Wadestown Valley). Mrs. Knox Giljner said that magpies persecuted tuis in her garden at Te Mania in the HJutt Valley. When food was put out for those beautiful singers and other welcome visitors, such as white-eyes, the greedy .magpies swooped in. it was. , necessary to«.stand guard and drive the Jj intruders away. Otherwise the ma- jl rauders would gobble up the whole o!> 1 the feast.