Cut in Shearers wages?

*THE WORKER*

Brisbane October 20, 1894

BUSHMEN, ATTENTION!

Premier Nelson Advises Cut in Wages.

Read Carefully.

ORGANISE! ORGANISE! ORGANISE!

A large deputation of squatters and others waited on Premier Nelson on Wednesday last, the object being to ask that the rents of pastoral leaseholders be not increased. In reply to the deputation Mr. Nelson said that it seemed to him there were many ways of reducing the cost of production otherwise than by getting the rents reduced. The rent was only one factor in the total cost of production, and there were many other things just as important, if not more so. There was the question of interest upon the amount of capital which had been borrowed by those engaged in the industry. That was a very large item. 

Then there was the question of wages and other charges, and he was not satisfied yet that those factors had been properly and fairly gone into with the view of reducing expenditure. Instead of going to the Government first of all, he thought they should have put themselves in the position to be able to say that they had exhausted all other methods of reducing the cost of production. In regard to interest, he was quite sure they would all admit that the rate was far too high at present, and it certainly ought to be reduced. With the banks in Australia and in London full of gold, it seemed absurd that the pastoralists should be called upon to pay 8 per cent. That was one direction in which a good deal might be done to reduce the cost of production. Then, with regard to wages, although great troubles had arisen about the rates during the last ten years, he thought the present was an opportune time for doing something to effect a saving in that direction also.

He knew of course the difficulties there were, and he knew that the price of labour had been kept up by the squatter more in deference to public opinion than anything else; but taking the cost of shearing, for instance, he thought it was time now that some better arrangement should be made by the pastoralists for the conduct of that portion of their business than existed at present. He believed it was time to make arrangements now for next year's shearing; and something might be done in the way of doing away with the present spasmodic employment of labour. As at present conducted, shearing provided only casual employment for a certain number of men. It ought to be reduced to something in the nature of permanent employment, and no better time than the present could be adopted for making the change. Take for instance, the total number of sheep in Queensland at 20,000,000, and taking the average number of sheep shorn per day at 100 it would be seen that 1000 men working 200 days in the year could shear the whole of the sheep. 

That would keep the men going all the year round, allowing the balance of 165 days for Sundays, holidays, and wet days. By adopting a system like that he believed they would not only do themselves a great deal of good but would do good also to the workingman, who could easily afford to work at a much less rate than £1 per hundred if he was assured of permanent employment for six or twelve months. There were other ways by which they could get relief, and he did not think they could expect the Government to do anything for them until they had exhausted all other means of securing a reduction in the cost of production.The total sum paid by the pastoralists for rent was about £300,000, and the amount they paid shearers was , say £200,000, with another £100,000 for rouseabouts, which made the total for shearing alone equal to the rent.