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they would not sleep in the same place again. The walls of this place were overgrown with a kind of moss through the damp and moisture. In other places in the Methven district I have seen six and eight men sleeping in whares out in camps. Some of these whares are only iron frames ou wheels. In that district there are also slab huts with great cracks between the slabs, and you would not be able to keep a light burning in them if the wind was at all strong. In other places men are put in lofts over horses and cattle. In the great majority of these places there is no fire at which a man can dry his clothes when he gets wet. I myself have been working in a place in the winter-time 13. Where? —In the Methven district —where the whare was so cold at night that we used to go out and light a fire in the gorse fence. There were three of us there, and we got chilblains through the damp cold and heat from the fire, and suffered very much. In fact, from my own experience when travelling round in the Canterbury District, I can say that I have seen very few places where proper accommodation is provided. There are some exceptions, of course. I might mention the name of one gentleman in particular who has provided a place where the accommodation is everything that could be desired. 14. Whose place is that?— Mr. Studholme's, of Coldstream. 15. Can you give us the names of any others?— Mr. Leonard White, of Rakaia; and there are various other places in the Rakaia district. I think that is about as good a district for accommodation as there is in Canterbury. 16. Mr. Hardy.~\ Do you mean that it is as good or better than any other district in Canterbury?—lt is better. There are good places in other parts, but they are exceptional. In connection with the housing of farm labourers, I do not think we have received proper attention at all. We think we deserve such accommodation as Mr. Studholme provides. He supplies each permanent employee with a single room to sleep in, and there is a large sitting-room, with a fire in it whenever necessary. 17. The Chairman.] That is at Coldstream There are also three baths with hot and cold water laid on, and when I was there —I did not see Mr. Studholme myself, and do not know him —I was informed that he was putting up further accommodation in regard to sitting-rooms, as one was hardly big enough for the crowd of men that were there. As a body, the farm labourers think they should have a single room for each permanent man on each farm or station. It is terrible for a man to live and sleep in places where there are a lot of men together, because some of them are not clean in their habits, but filthy and dirty, and if any complaint is made a man is generally put down as a growler, and if he keeps on complaining he is sure to be dismissed. I have not seen many places where a bath is provided for the use of the men. There are a few exceptions, but not many in my experience. The bunks are two or three high, and some of the men will go to the nearest township and get drunk, and, as like as not, get sick, arid are then not very particular about those sleeping beneath them. As a general thing we consider the accommodation needs fixing up, and our union in its various branches, since this Bill has been brought before them, have passed resolutions against it. I have the resolutions here which have been passed by some of the branches. There is this one in particular ' 18. By whom?—lt was passed at a meeting at Chertsey on the 20th August. There was a mixture of people there of about half farmers and half workers. The resolution was carried unanimously without one dissenting voice. This is the resolution: "That any legislation that does not provide for separate sleeping accommodation for each permanent employee will not be satisfactory to the workers of Canterbury." The same resolution was carried at Rakaia. 19. On what date?—On the 24th August. The Temuka branch on the 20th resolved, "That the Agricultural Labourers' Accommodation Bill introduced in the House by Mr. Flatman, M.H.R., is so vague in its provisions as to be for all practical purposes useless, and if passed it will be a dead-letter." Another resolution passed on the same date as that at Temuka states that the accommodation provided by the Bill is a mockery, and is not intended to provide what it purports to do. At Taitapu—l have not the date of this meeting —they passed a resolution that the words " waterproof tent " be deleted from the Bill. The Leeston and Southbridge Branches passed a resolution that all whares be matchlined and properly ventilated. The Cust Branch also passed a resolution condemning the Bill, as also did Rangiora. As regards this Bill, we workers, with our experience of the horrors of some of the places we have to live in, think it does not in any way meet our requirements, and the members of our union will not be satisfied with the Bill as it now stands. It is ridiculous on the face of it to ask men working teams to go into a tent. They would have no accommodation to enable them to dry their clothes in wet or showery weather, because they could not have a fireplace in a tent, Again, in a lot of the whares where there are many men employed there is no provision made for a sitting-room with a. fire in it, which we think is necessary where there are more than two or three men employed, Where there is no sittingroom we thin!?; there should be a large room for the men to live in with a fireplace in it. We think the places should be properly ventilated and be kept sanitary and clean, and that some one should look after them. We also think that the recognised agent of the union should be allowed to go on to these places and see them when thought necessary, as we have very little confidence in the present system of inspecting whares under the Shearers' Accommodation Act, -~-., 20 Who does the inspecting under that Act?—l think the police generally. We think no Bill would be right unless representatives of the workers are given power to go and see these places and report to the Inspector, or whoever is supposed to inspect, 21 Does that complete your statement?-I think so. . , . , ~ 22 Mr Ell 1 The good accommodation you speak of is on the large farms, judging by the names of the owners you have given here?— Yes, that is so. There are some small farmers too who supply good accommodation. - _ . 23 You have not given us any instance of small farmers who have provided good accommodation ?_There is one place where I worked personally—Mr. Thomas WithelPs, Brook Bl de. The

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