806 



Labour on the Farm. 



[Dec, 



labour bill was again too high from whatever standpoint we view 

 it. Judged by the wages actually paid on other farms, it was 

 approximately £9 10s. per acre too high; taking into account 

 the high gross income obtained from the holding it is still more 

 than £4 per acre too high; and when, finally, judged by net 

 output, it is at least £6 too high. One would certainly be 

 standing on safe ground in pointing out to the management 

 that the labour bill on that particular farm must be kept within 

 the limits of ^8 per acre, if it is to be run as a commercial 

 success. 



On farm P.O.H., 120 acres, the labour bill amounted last year 

 to £6 18s. per acre, the gross income to £57 9s. lOd., and the 

 net output to =£22 6s. Id. per acre. The labour bill per acre 

 was approximately double what has been found to obtain on all 

 the farms costed, yet in this case labour was not taking more 

 than its fair share. On the basis of the gross income, the 

 farmer was paying £5 per acre, and on the basis of the net 

 output nearly £11 per acre less than the average so paid on the 

 other farms. The labour bill here was high, but amply justified; 

 every penny was well spent, and all the monejT- well earned. 



On farm C.M.F. the labour bill was £6 4s. lOd. per acre, the 

 gross income £11 18s., and the net output less than £1 per 

 acre. Here the labour bill was undoubtedly high, and there 

 was nothing in either the gross or net returns to justify the high 

 wages so paid. Whether this was the fault of the labour engaged 

 or of the management concerned could easily be shown by 

 further investigation of the accounts. On the basis of the gross 

 income obtained, there was apparently justification for an expen- 

 diture only of ^£3 per acre instead of over £6, while had labour 

 been content with 80 per cent, of the net output, the proportion 

 in the average figures, it could only have laid claim to approxi- 

 mately 15s. per acre. 



On farm M.A.H., the labour bill amounted only to £2 12s. 

 per acre. Even this low figure was too high if we were judging 

 by results, for the gross income amxounted only to £6 6s. 9d. 

 and the net output to £0 14s. 9d. per acre. Of the gross income, 

 labour took 41 per cent., as compared with an average list year 

 of 2B per cent, on the other farms ; and an amount equal to 

 349 per cent, of the net output as compared with an average of 

 80 per cent. 



On the other hand labour bills on farms H.N.O. and W.A.E., 

 and possibly on J.H.S., might with advantage have been in- 

 creased, and it would most probably have paid the farmers in 

 these cases to have made such an increase. 



