Shearers stand in front of the Teviot woolshed, which was reputedly the largest in the southern hemisphere. It had been constructed from a railway station brought out from Britain. Teviot station had over 50,000 sheep, and more than 100 men would be employed during shearing, using 40 stands in the shed. The station manager, W. T. Scrimgeour, is leaning against the railing on the right. In the 1880s he drew up a set of shearing rules. Scrimgeour paid the shearers 15 shillings per hundred sheep shorn. In turn, the shearers agreed not to injure the sheep, to work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (with one hour for breakfast and one hour for dinner), and not to bring intoxicating liquor on the station or to be drunk on the job.

Download the document to read Scrimgeour’s shearing rules (PDF, 13KB)