GENERAL CONDITIONS IN NEW ZEALAND 59 
8. Labour Conditions. 
The general efficiency of the New Zealand labourer is 
of a high order surpassed only by that of American 
workers. A generous and beneficial education system 
together with a congenial home and social environment, 
promotes the growth of those faculties of judgment, 
promptness, resource, carefulness and steadfastness of 
purpose which characterise the efficient worker. In short, 
the New Zealand labourer possesses in a remarkable 
degree that nervous strength which Dr. Marshall in his 
exposition® lays down as a necessary qualification for 
industrial efficiency. 
(a) Necessity for Skilled Labour—So much for the 
efficiency of labour generally. Let us pass to general 
labouring conditions in the wheat industry. At first 
sight the qualifications which the worker requires here 
do not appear to be of a high character. But when we 
look more closely we shall see that the farm labourer 
requires ability of no common nature, if he is going to 
be a success to himself and his employer. It is difficult 
to designate this labour as skilled or unskilled. Many of 
the operations involve mere routine, but the worker must 
be able to go beyond this to more complex tasks. Can 
we say that the ploughman who handles his plough and 
drives six horses to the fullest advantage is performing 
an unskilled operation? In the first place simple as the 
plough may appear to the casual observer, the technique 
of caring for it so as to prevent undue depreciation and 
of ‘‘setting’’ it to different kinds of ploughing requires 
more skill and knowledge than is apparent ; and secondly, 
it is only a few who possess the special capabilities of 
caring for their horses and driving them efficiently. 
Furthermore, the ploughman’s tasks do not end at 
ploughing. He must possess a knowledge of the working 
*«¢Prineiples of Heonomies.’’? Book IV., Chaps. IV. to VII. 
