FARM LABOURERS DEMANDS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 9006, 20 November 1907, Page 3

FARM LABOURERS DEMANDS.

• S r» Following are the demands of the t. farm labourers, which are now Joem«. dealt with by the Arbitration Court at Christchnrch.— - ' , Hours of labour: -Ploughmen, Start 6 a.m. ; breakfast, < to ~30; dinner, an hour and a, half from leaving work till starting back to work -work with horses to stop • at 0 p.m'., attcr wliich men are not to groom horses, _. , . , , Dav labourers.— Eight hours and a half f° r flvo da y s an(l four ucmrs arid a half ou Saturday. General farm hands.—Nino hours per. day'. Harvesters,—7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ; one hour for dinner; half an hour for lunch both before and after dinner.Married couples.—Husband same hours as ploughmen or harvesters according to work; other work at 48 hours per week. Head ploughman or timekeeper, £1 10s per week; ploughmen on level country, £1 7s (id for four horse t.;»m and £1 5s for three horse team, 2s fid eXtra for nvery additional horse, swanip ploughing" With six horses, £1 15s per week. General farm hands, £1 7s Cd per Week ; day labourers 7s (id per day ; casuals" Is per hour; drainers, Is per hour; if in vvater is 3d per hour, gum boots supplied by employers. Harvesters, men working JiO'rsea £2 15s, with board and lodgings, stooking and forking £2 !5s or Is 3d per hour, with board and lodgings, stacking £3 per week or Is (id per hour and found, stacker's assistant Is per hour and found, draymen Is per hour with board at the rate of 10s per week where necessary. Married couples, where both have to work, man £1 7s Cd, wife (as Cook) 15s per week for four men and 2s per week for eacJi man over four, required to bake £1 per week, house and coal or firewood tree, horse and trap to bo allowed to be kept at not more than Is per week, if man lias to harvest, wages to be those of harvester.

Shepherds.—Head shepherds on plains or downs (if married) £1 12s dd, on back or mountainous country (if . married) £1 15s, house, fuel, rations, horses and feed for dogs free; single men, same with board and lodgings instead of house ; under 6'liephcrds, £1 12s (id and found if single., .or with house if married; casual employees £i 15* and all found, mustering on Sundays Is per hour; musterer? and packers in back country £3 per week and 10s extra for Sundays and found; day in'us'torers.-Vlis per day, with one day's pay for coming from last job and 5s expenses. Threshers, same wages and eondi tious as harvesters. Holidays.—New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, day of local sports, Labour Day, King's Birthday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, one week each in November and May—all at full pay—and a half holiday ou Saturday, except in harvest time. Overtime.—Day labourers Is per hour, harvesters Is 3d per hour for all time before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Boys to be paid not less than 17s fid per week, with increases cf 2s fid every six months to the full wages. No boy under 1(5 to take charge of a team of more than two horses, and no boy to work before or after hours fixed for other than farm workers. | j All sleeping accommodation to be properly ventilated and sanitary, and eacli individual to have the same space as allotted under the Shearers' ! Act, 1808. The dining room to bs , separate from the sleeping room; each worker to have soap and candles allowed and the choice of baker's bread when practicable, and to bo allowed 5s a week extra if they have to cook for themselves. Preference to bo given ;; to unionists. No work covered by these conditoins to bo let by contract. Per Press Association. ChristCiiurck, November If. The hearing of the farm labourers' dispute by the Conciliation Board was continued to-day. A witness named E. Kennedy, one of the organisers of the Farm Labourers Union, was examined and reexamined throughout the whole of the dav, his evidence relating in the main to the inferior accommodation provided for farm labourers. The hearing will bo continued to- j morrow. j