NEW SHEARERS'RULES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3942, 19 October 1891, Page 2

NEW SHEARERS'RULES.

The extravagant demands of the Australian unionist shearers, before the strike, evoked the following skit: 1. While the shearing lasts the woolshed and all it contains is to be looked upon as the property of the shearers.

2. The station manager will be admitted to the shed occasionally during the shearing—on sufferance of course.

8. Each shearer will be allowed an assistant to catch for him or to hold his sheep, while he sits down tor an occasional smoke or swear.

4. Assistants' wages shall not be less than 30s per week, and found —including luxuries. $. It wilj be the duty of the station manager to see that every shearer's pipe is, filled with the begi tobacco, ready for him on the call of " Smoke, ho/' "

6. The pickers up and wool rollers are to be allowed to smoKe cigars while at work. 7. A comfortable arm obair must be provided on the board beside each shearer, and a card table supplied with a pack of cards and cribbage board must be placed for every four men. 8. No shearer is expected to have less than sor more than 6 horses with him, and as many goats as he likes ; and ic will be the duty of the station manager to see that these are daily fed with corn and chaff and rugged nightly during the shearing. 9. The station sheep will be permitted to £' aze * n suc k P as the shearers may not liaPJ??! I'° 1 '° re " quire for the use of their horses. ' 10. \Vhile the, shearing lasts the station manager will be granted the | use of what is usually known as the, shearer's hut as his residence. 11. The '.' house '' and its contents are to/ be at the disposal of the shearers.

}2. The station manager's wife and daughters are expected never to re fuse should they be favored with an invitation to the house, to entertain the shearers by playing the piano.

13. The shearers' dinner shall consist of not less than four courses, and a supply of Mt. Abundance wine is expected to be always on the table. 14. Coffee will have to be served round to tbe shearers every morning half an hour before tbey are expeoted to rise.

15. Spring tnattrasses are to take the place of the old-fashioned bunks, and double beds must be provided for such shearers who maj choose to have their wives with them.

16. Every man about the shed will have to prove that his father" was not a Chinaman or a blackfellow, before he will be permitted to go to his work. 17. Shearers are not expected to kill more than five sheep a day through outs or rough handling. 18. The penalty for the infringement of above rules shall be a bottle of champagne, to go to the chairman «f f-ommittee.

19. Kicking and fractio'u" * ee _° are

to be set aside for the special practice of the station manager's visiting friends, and no other " harrowing " save in these case* are to b,e allowed. 20. Th« shearer who proves the most adept at "second cuts'-is ty enjoy the title of tbe " ringer." N. 3 Bh,ed .committee is to have the power to amend any of the adove rules, should they deem it desirable.to make them less tyrannical for the shearers.