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5
The following rates of wages are given:—
| Carpenters, | -- | -- | 20/0 per day | |||
| Blacksmiths, | -- | -- | 18/0 | " | ||
| Labourers on roads | -- | 10/0 | " | |||
| Married Couples, | -- | -- | £80 per year, with rations. | |||
| Shepherds, | -- | -- | £35 | " | ||
| Gardeners, | -- | -- | £70 | " | ||
| Cooks, | -- | -- | -- | £40 | " | |
| Housemaids, | -- | -- | £25 | " | ||
| Laundresses, | -- | -- | £35 | " | ||
| Nursemaids, | -- | -- | £22 | " | ||
| Bullock drivers, | -- | -- | £8 per week, and rations. | |||
| Farm Labourers, | -- | -- | 30/0 | " | ||
| Ploughmen, | -- | -- | 35/0 | " | ||
Current retail prices of various necessaries of life at Melbourne.
| Carrots and Parsnips | -- | 6/0 per dozen. | ||||
| Cabbages | -- | -- | -- | 18/0 | " | |
| Onions | -- | -- | -- | 0/5 per lb. | ||
| Potatoes | -- | -- | -- | 24/0 per cwt. | ||
| Butter | -- | -- | -- | 2/0 to 3/0 per lb. | ||
| Eggs | -- | -- | -- | 5/0 per dozen. | ||
| Fowls | -- | -- | -- | 10/0 per pair. | ||
| Ducks | -- | -- | -- | 12/0 | " | |
| Geese and Turkeys | -- | -- | 14/0 each. | |||
| Bread, 4 lb. loaf | -- | -- | 1/0 to 2/0 | |||
| Beef and Mutton | -- | -- | 0/3 per lb. | |||
| Bacon | -- | -- | -- | 0/8 to 1/6 per lb. | ||
| Sugar | -- | -- | -- | £21 to £26 per ton. | ||
| Tea | -- | -- | -- | £5 per Chest or 1/6 per lb. | ||
| Coffee | -- | -- | -- | 0/3 to 0/6 per lb. | ||
| Potatoes | -- | -- | -- | £7 to £20 per ton. | ||
| Flour | -- | -- | -- | 50/0 per 200 lbs. | ||
| Cheese | -- | -- | -- | 2/0 per lb. | ||
| Tobacco | -- | -- | -- | 6/0 | " | |
| Oats | -- | -- | -- | 5/0 to 15/0 per bushel. | ||
| Bran | -- | -- | -- | 1/0 to 2/6 | " | |
From the rates quoted for labour, high as are the prices of most of the necessaries of life, it may be seen that tradesmen and labourers may live comfortably and save a good share of their wages.
| Rum is quoted from | -- | -- | 3/3 to 4/6 per gallon. | |||
| Brandy | -- | -- | -- | 6/0 to 17/6 | " | |
| Geneva | -- | -- | -- | 12/6 to 27/0 | " | |
| Beer, London Stout | -- | £5 to £11 per hogsbead. | ||||
| Bottled Beer | -- | -- | 9/0 to 17/0 per dozen. | |||
The foregoing are the quotations of prices at Melbourne. At the diggings they were much higher, for instance, at Bendigo:—
| Oats were | -- | -- | -- | 23/0 per bushel. | ||
| Flour | -- | -- | -- | -- | £16 per 200 lbs. | |
| Sugar | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1/4 per lb. | |
| Tea | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4/6 | " |
| Butter | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5/0 | " |
| Cheese | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4/6 | " |
| Tobacco | -- | -- | -- | -- | 12/0 | " |
