"rollers." Every shearer keeps three men at high speed attending to
him. One picks up the fleece in such a manner as to spread it out on
the table in one throw; another one pulls off the ends and rolls it so
that the wool-classer can see at a glance the length of the wool and
weight of the fleece; another, called the "sweeper," gathers into a
basket the trimmings and odd pieces. These casual laborers and
rouseabouts are paid ten dollars a week, while the shearer works on
piece work, receiving six dollars for each hundred sheep shorn, and it
is a slow man who does not average one hundred and fifty per day. All
the shearing is done by machine, and in Western Queensland good
shearers are in constant employment for ten months of the year. The
shearers have a separate union from the rouseabouts, and there is a
good deal of ill feeling between the two classes. When the shearers
want a spell I have known them declare by a majority vote that the
sheep were "wet," though there had not been any rain for months! There
is a law that says that shearers must not be asked to shear "wet"
sheep, as it is supposed to give them a peculiar disease. The
rouseabouts do not mind these "slow-down" strikes, as they get paid
anyway, but the shearers are very bitter when these have a dispute with
the boss and strike, for it cuts down their earnings, probably just
when they wanted to finish the shed so as to get a "stand" at the
commencement of shearing near by.

When the war broke out the problem of the government was how to collect
the volunteers from these outback towns for active service. It would
cost from fifty to one hundred dollars per head in railway fare to
bring them into camp.

The outbacker, however, solved the problem without waiting for the
government to make up its mind. They just made up their swags and