DAIRY LABOUR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume VX, Issue 7108, 23 January 1901, Page 2

DAIRY LABOUR.

jDurino a disoussion by some of our contemporaries on the subject of the seourity of farm labour there has incidentally arisen that of the employment of children in dairying. It is urged on the one hand that the dairy farmer cannot pay the rates for labour now demanded without imperilling bis ability to nuoet competition in tho world's markets, and that nojt unexpectedly recourse is had to the labour of the

hildren to keep the home together; "hUe on the other hand warning is ••eld out that there is risk of the employment of child labor becoming excessive, because the economic conditions under which they work force not a few dairy farmers to set the present value of their children's labor against the future worth of '.heir children's education. "In the present uroumstances," remarks the Wellington Post, "it would almost seem that the ihoice lies between injuring one of our nost promising industries and permanently mpairing the physical or intellectual japacity of a section of the colony's hildren. Neither of these alternatives ■■an be faced with equanimity, and it

■■an be faced with equanimity, and it [evolves upon the Government and eading men of the colony to discover . way out of the dilemma. The dearth >f form labour at the present time shows >o signs o! disappearing ; on the contrary, t is likely to increase as our legislation interferes more and more with with the spontaneous working of the labour market, [f our produce were destined only for the colony, we might protect ourselves by a wall :>* tariff isolation, but our farmers have to compete in the markets of the world. The pressure tends to crush the weakest part' jf the community, the children of the mall settlers." The best suggestion^ the journal quoted from .can make is] .he offer of a reward for the] discovery of a milking machine, but in view of the fact that inventors have been at work, in the main unsuccessfully, for years, and that a fortune beyond any reward the Government of New Zealand couldi offer awaits the discoverer of a satisfao-; Cory machine, there is not much hope f rom| '.his source. The Wanganui Herald suggests the adoption of a half-time school system under which children might get relief from school for six months. It points out that •' in parts of the United States, the schools are cosed for the summer months, and opened during those of the autumn and winter. This allows the children to help tbeir parents at a time when their services are most required, and gives them an opportunity of attending school when thej presß of farm work has ceased. This system has been found' to work well in] America, and we do not see why it should, not be equally beneficial in the dairying districts of this oolony, as the children could get the required amount of schooling during the six months of the year when their services in the milking 9heds were not requited. To prohibit a man with a large family from utilising their labour as milkers would mean the crippling of the dairy industry and the closing of a profitable field of labour to a large number of industrious families, many

large number of industrious families, many of whom would, in consequence, be reducsd to want. This is net a desirable thing, nor is there any necessity why it should be forced on struggling heads of families, who are now, by the aid of their children, living in comfort and building up comfortable homes for them. Of course it is necessary that the children shall receive the statutory amount of education, but

the statutory amount of education, but there is no valid reason why this cannot be done by adopting the American practice in farming districts, as above mentioned, providing the Education Act of the colony is amended in that direction." One weakness of this suggestion is that the milking season lasts even longer than six months in the year. The whole subject is a very difficult one. Cannot some of our dairy farmers who have the best knowledge on the subject give us their views as to how the problem is to be dealt with?