94 



Agricultural Wages in 1901. 



of not rusting or injuring any metal with which it comes in 

 contact. Another important matter, from the bacteriological 

 point of view, is that all utensils and machinery, from the 

 pail onwards, should be washed and sterilised immediately 

 alter use. When a few drops of milk or cream are left 

 behind, the bacteria, which they are sure to contain, begin 

 at once to multiply. In a few hours there are many 

 thousands, or even millions, instead of a few hundreds ; it is 

 then not only more difficult to complete the cleaning, but, 

 unless the boiling soda is used, a plentiful sowing will be 

 present to begin growing in the next fluid which is put into 

 the utensil. This is the reason, Dr. Cherry points out, why 

 skim milk turns sour so quickly when emptied into the pig's 

 barrel, and it also explains much of the difficulty of bringing 

 up infants on the bottle. The barrel and the bottle are alike 

 in this respect, that they are both seldom effectively cleaned. 

 The amount which is left behind may be so small that it is 

 not observed by the eye, but it is quite sufficient to enable 

 the tiny germs to get a foothold and to grow. Trouble is 

 saved by never putting away a dirty utensil. 



[fournal of the Department of Agriculture of Victoria, March, 1902. ) 



Agricultural Wages in 1901. 



The increase in agricultural wages, which has been 

 recorded in the Returns collected by the Board of Trade in 

 each year since 1895, * s again shown in the figures for last 

 year. 



The districts reported on in which an increase in wages 

 took place in 1901 contained 159,456 agricultural labourers, 

 according to the 1891 census, while decreases were reported 

 in districts in which the number of labourers was 13,086. 

 The net increase per week in the districts reported on 

 amounted to a general rise of 5-J-d. per week per head of 

 those affected. 



This is not so large a rate of increase as that reported in 

 the four preceding years, and the number of labourers 



