"HOW FARM SERVANTS MAY BECOME FARMERS."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXi, Issue 6066, 12 September 1903, Page 2

"HOW FARM SERVANTS MAY BECOME FARMERS."

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I have had the pleasure of reading the prize essays on "How farm servants may become Farmers." One thing strikes me as rather strange. These gentlemen would allow a man about £10 to live on. Is that supposed to keep him in tobacco ? I would not like to keep myself on £!0 for a year, that is to live decently, How many farm servants live on that any how ? You would expect a man to go to church, and give his mite. He ha 3to be fairly well dressed, and perhaps he lives a fair distance from church, and has to keep a bike. Would you allow him any holidays at all ? Perhaps you would be like some farmers who I have heard of that would say:—• " Work away boys, you'll get a holiday on Sunday." Would you allow him to go to any dances ?■ You would let him start at 5,30 a.m., and work till 9 p.m., and then give him all the rest of the day to himself. That would be holiday enough. Some of th© old farmers say that the ploughmen are getting lazy nowadays. They oan remember when they had to cut the chaff by hand for the horses at night. But to return to my subject. I would allow a man i>2o to £25 to keep him. Living has gone up this last few years aB regards'clothes, boots, etc. Of xjoutse we know that wages are better. A good p'ou<hman will get ,£6O to £85 a year, One thing I object to with farmers, They I employ boys to work their teams for about 103 to 15s a week, and so out down the wages. They say wages are not so good in Australia, What is the price of clothes there ? About half the price they are here. I must now fill my pipe, but I'll have to be.steady on.tobacco to keep myself on jslO a year. Hoping I have not trespassed too much on your valuable space, and thanking you in anticipation.—l am, etc.,

One Who Knows.