TOWN AND COTJNTEY

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 140, 15 June 1928, Page 8

TOWN AND COTJNTEY

A FAEMER'S VIEW.OP DAYLIGHT SAVING (To the Editor.) Sir,—l am only a farmer in town for a few days, and I suppose the old saying is coming true again, Satan still finds mischief for idle hands to do; so to fill in some of my idle time before my business appointments 1 would like to comment a little upon a letter in your paper of the 13th instant, signed "Let There i>e Light. Whoever he is he certainly needs more ignt; he must be very young indeed to have such a limited knowledge of , the country he is living in as to think that sport and recreation are so essential that they can be indulged in to the detriment and cost of the farming community. Food and clothing are without doubt the most essential commodities to our existencewe could exist without bowls or cricket or golf. So why argue that it is so necessary to boost these pastimes, which are all right in their place? If the towny wants to have a little more time for these pastimes by .ill means let him'get up earlier without kidding himself that after all it is not early because the clock has been put back by Act of Parliament Let There Be Light" says, and quite tru hfu |y that the farmer works from daylight till dark. So it cannot make any difference to him at all because the Act does not alter the sun. Now, Sir, this is tlie weakest part of "Let There Be Light's" etter. It is just because everything has been altered except daylight, that the tanner s difficulty arises. Sometimes a farmer is called to serve on the jury The Court sits at. 10 a.m., the usual time, but m reality it is only 9 a.m. The farmer cannot rise any earlier than he has always done because there is no daylight Consequently he must leave • certain work undone to rush away to the Court, thus neglecting work which should have been attended to. This is a detriment to the whole country, for after all the farmer is the only one who produces tucker, aud that is what counts, for you can't even play games on an empty stomach, no matter if you could have twice as much sunshine. Then the train is an hour earlier; in fact everything is a bit ahead of him, so things m the morning have to be neglected if the farmer is to get to town in anything like decent _tim-j to transact his business or serve his country, as the case may be. Then comes the difficulty at the other end of the day, and instead of sayin^ "Let there be light," the farmer has to cry "Let there be dark," because it does not matter how much you townies can kid yourselves, we farmers cannot get our animals and poultry to kid themselves, and in spite of the 'fanner himself being ahead of time so as to enable him to attend meetings, or go to the pictures or theatre, which are air starting an hour before they should, the poultry won't go to roost in time to let him. close all the doors and shut them in safely for the night to protect them safely from ferrets, stoats,; cats, and other enemies that would most' surely attack them if they were not safely shut up at night. The same applies to the ducks, which are away foraging all day and only come home at dusk to get their evening meal and. bo shut up for the night. If they are not shut up the eggs would be lost, as well as themselves, and you poor townies, who fondly- think your only requirement js sunshine, would have to pay more for your eggs and poultry than you have to do at present. But what does that matter so long as you have plenty of play and sunshine, and not too much work? But did it never strike you that you are dependent upon the farmer for your very existence. So why speak so disparagingly about u» by saying a few farmers and those who wish to curry favour with them object. Let me tell you that if you townies had not a few farmers to rob you would soon be in a bad way. The farmer actuality produces from mother earth all the commodities you need to keep youalive, and then says what will you give us for them—have them at your own price. You, on the other hand, have the machinery, the fertiliser, the shipping, and many other things that the farmer requires to carry on production, and the towny calls it good business to make him pay through the nose for these things so as to keep you in a nice fat job in town. The farmer has no way of fixing the price of his products he sells to you, while you on your part fix the price of what he buys, showing a good fat profit on all the' farmer has to purchase from you. If you townies will only use your brains and leaye the clock alone just because it does not suit the farming community you would bo acting entirely in your own interests, because the more you help the farmer to produce the better off this country is going to be. But if you arc going to be ko short-sighted as to insist upon this foolish daylight saying you will surely have to pay for your folly.—l am, etc., FARMER.