FARMERS AND WAGES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 36, 11 August 1927, Page 10

FARMERS AND WAGES

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Please allow me space to reply to Mr. Maddison'g letter of Monday's issue of your paper. I do not purpose entering into a futile controversy which will lead nowhere, but cannot let his statements pass without protest. If your correspondent is sufficiently familiar with the conditions and practice of farming in thi3 country to write of it, he must be fully aware that but a small minority of the farmers employ labour in the ordinary course of events. Now, Sir, do you think, to use Mr. Maddison's words, it right, manly, or playing the game to stigmatise as unfair the farmer as a class because a small percentage of the minority that does employ labour *'squeals," as alleged, about high wages. Furthermore, your correspondent mentions the gains the farmer has made at tho worker's expense in the past. Permit me to point out again that in the great majority of cases, and it is of the majority we write, that his gains have been due to his own labour, and, in the case of the dairy farmer, only too frequently to that of his wife and family. One often hears the expression that figures cannot lie, but I submit that Mr. Maddison's figures as applied to these oases, aro, to say the least, very misleading. The wages factor is obviously not applicable where no labour is employed, and can have little direct bearing on the cost of production. Finally, Mr. Madden states the farmer did not ask the worker to share his gains in the prosperous period. In this country over 90 per cent, of the wealth produced comes primarily from tho land. Therefore, Mr, Madclison must surely realise, as does any thoughtful man of average intelligence, that all classes of the community share tho additional wealth during times of rural prosperity, just as surely as during the present slump, they are sharing tho farmer's adversity.— I am, etc.,

F. ROBERTSON,