Individual,

You might have come across examples of this sort of activity:

In SA and elsewhere, missions provided rations for families living on them. When men went away to work, the rations were of course continued. When the men came back from shearing etc., they were supposed to pay for those rations issued while they were working - otherwise, clearly, families would have been getting rations AND the men would have been paid a wage.

[Incidentally, in missionaries' journals, Royal Commission reports, etc., it seems that Aboriginal workers were paid standard wages. Wow, there's a vigorous discussion right there.

In the 1877 Royal Commission in Victoria (available on my web-site on the Victoria Page: www.firstsources.info ), there were complaints from missions about men earning good money at shearing, being paid, then blowing the lot on grog, and so having nothing much to bring back to the missions to pay for their families' rations:

The missions were appealing for station-owners to pay the men by cheque which would be sent to the mission, so that the costs of rations could be deducted and the men imbursed with the rest. Of course, being so much in front of the rest of Australia, in SA, that's what was happening (and I suspect that it might have been happening in other colonies - and later, States - such as Queensland).

Of course, in the pastoral industry, not too many stations had Coles or Woolies, so payment for work was also in the form of rations rather than money - not just rtions etc. for the actual workers, but for their dependants as well. Probably the value of the rations and accommodation and odd bits and pieces, boots here, hats there, did not match up with what would have been the value of the wages earnt. But that's for somebody else to check the relevant records. I suspect though, that that was the case.

Joe

Individual,

As to the range of rations, here is an example at the Anglican Mission at Yelta (late 1850s-1968), on the Murray near Mildura: [from the 1861 Annual Report]:

MISSION STATION, YELTA —T. Goodwin, 13th October, 1860.-

90 pairs trowsers, 500 yards print, 500 yards calico, 50 pairs blankets, 2 cross-cut saws, 2 cwt. assorted nails, 1 doz. spades, 3 assorted rakes,
2 pairs maul rings, 1 doz. assorted wedges, 2 hand saws, 4 oz. Dover's powders, 28 lbs. Epsom salts,
1 lb. senna, 4 bottles liniment for rheumatism. &c., 1 lb. pill in lump for coughs, &c., 5 lbs. mustard,
2 lbs. linseed meal, 6 yards adhesive plaster, 1 lb. bluestone, 11b. tow, 15 yards linen for bandages,
scales and weights for medicine and box for same, 3000 lbs. flour, 1000 lbs. sugar, 200 lbs. tea, 100 lbs.
soap, 200 lbs. tobacco.

26th December, 1860.-

2 tons flour, 10 cwt. sugar, 1 chest tea, 56 lbs. tobacco.

[TBC]

[continued]

16th March, 1861.-2 tons flour, 1 chest tea, a ton sugar, 1 ton rice, 3 cwt. soap, 2 cwt. oatmeal,
1 box pipes, 1 gross knives, 1 gross combs, 1 gross looking glasses, 2 cwt. seine twine, 1 cwt. fishing lines, fish hooks, Nos. 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10, 100 of each,
150 blankets. Men's clothing.-8 doz. cotton shirts, 4 doz. woollen guernseys, 4 doz. red serge shirts, 4 doz. blue serge shirts, 2 doz. waistcoats, 2 doz. coats,
6 doz. felt hats or caps, 12 doz. cotton handkerchiefs. Boys' clothing.-3 doz. cotton shirts, 2 doz. woollen guernseys,
2 doz. red serge shirts, 2 doz. moleskin trowsers, 2 doz. jackets (assorted sizes),
3 doz. men's blucher boots, 2 doz. boys' blucher boots, 3 doz. women's and girls' boots. Women's clothing.-3 doz. red serge petticoats, 100 yards flannel for petticoats, 100 yards red serge for making petticoats, 3 doz. woollen polka jackets 3 lbs. assorted thread,
3 doz. white cotton thread, 4 doz. brown and black cotton thread, 1 gross assorted broad tape,
2 doz. assorted thimbles,
4 oz. sulphate of zinc, 1 lb. washed flowers of sulphur. Homeopathic medicine.-16 oz. tinct. of arnica, 4 oz. tinct. of aconite,
1 oz. tinct. of belladona, 4 oz. tincturis sulphuris.
3 American felling axes, 12 handles for ditto.

Yes, I was surprised too.

Joe

A few words about Antifa, which is heavily involved in these demonstrations and property wrecking, and statue vandalism. 'Equality', 'racism' or 'black lives' is nothing to them, but wrecking Western society is.

Antifaschistische Aktion—was born during the street-fights of the 1932 Weimar Republic. It was founded by the Stalinist Communist Party of Germany (KPD).

Anti-fascist Action’s sole purpose was to help the Stalinists combat other political parties for control of the streets.

They fought the Nazis, but they also fought liberal parties, conservative parties, and anyone and everyone who got in their way. Antifa exists to serve as a tool of revolutionary politics in a failed (or failing) state. We could well be seeing the failure of the West and Australia right now.

Donald Trump is right to aim at declaring Antifa a terrorist organisation. Scott Morrison will continue smirking and saying nothing.

Thanks Joe, for the perspective and the accurate research!

Interesting that some received standard wages! For doing the same days work as their white contemporaries! But then Adelaide stands almost alone a the one colony, not founded by chained, slave labour convicts, but ethical Christians.

Hasbeen. My maternal great, great-granddaddy was also a depression-era logger and was rewarded solely in flour, sugar, baccy and tea, due to the colour of his skin!
Alan B.

Aboriginal "equality."

All people except "aboriginal" people in NSW must pay for fishing licenses.

All people except 'aboriginal" people must pay to enter national parks.

All people except aboriginal" people must pay their own university fees.

All people except "aboriginal" people must keep a record of their attempts to find a job before they can claim welfare.

Aboriginal people are the only race to have a government department set up entirely for their benefit.

Aboriginal people get free legal advice, all others are expected to pay if they can.

Aboriginal people are the only race who may advertise for government jobs which are exclusively set aside for aborigines.

Aboriginal people get free dental services provided for them in rural areas by travelling government dentists, the taxpaying whites who live in these rural areas and pay taxes have to travel to large country towns to get dental assistance, and they pay for the treatment themselves.

Aboriginal parents are the only ones who get a special allowance if they make their kids go to school.

Aboriginal people are the only people the government pays "truancy officer" drivers in government supplied cars to take aboriginal kids to school.

Aboriginal schools are the only government schools that give their students free food.

Aboriginal apprentices are taught in special "aboriginal only" classes where the suspicion exists that the courses are dumbed down and the exams very liberally marked.

Aboriginal people do not appear to pay Land Tax on their extensive land holding which every other citizen must do.

Aboriginal people are paid royalties for minerals on their land which other races do not get.

Aboriginal people have a lower retirement age. (55)