THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7384, 10 February 1902, Page 2

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

CLERICAL VIEW OF ITS MORAL

RESULTS.

On Sunday morning Bey. J. Dukes preached a sermon on the moral results of the dairying industry, taking for his text 11. Cor., iv.. "For the things which are seen .are temporal ; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Referring to the discussion and conference on Sunday dairying, which took place some months ago, he said not much good had resulted. The object had been to bring Sunday labour in factories under more , restrictions, in order lo reduce it to a minimum. No practicable method had been suggested of doing without factory work on Sunday. A proposal by " A Settler " that the milk should be manipulated at home on Sundays did not help them, for it was evident that, apart from considerations of increased home labor, the only way of maintaining the industry on the basis of manufacturing a thoroughly marketablo article was by pursuing the present method of manufacture. But the discussion failed, principally because while unworthy motives were attributed and attacks made which went to the root of Christian principles, the main issue was lost eight of, and he now' raised the question, what effect was this industry having upon the moral and religious life of the community? Let him not be misunderstood. He believed dairying was a justifiable calling, which might be carried on without any detriment to the moral or religious hie of individuals or the community. There were to be found in this district engaged in it Christian men who would compare favorably with the type of Christian men to be found in other districts where Sabbath labor was not so engrossing. All depended upon the spirit of the man. Where a man would not grasp at so much that he and his family became veritable slaves ; would only do on Sunday what was absolutely necessary ; would not give any employe, either on his farm or in the factory, any more Sunday labour than was absolutely necessary — where these three principles were carried out, they had a man who kept spiritual things before him, and he would not suffer. Another type described was that of a man who, seeing there was money in dairying, reßolved to have as much of it as he could ; cared no more for Sunday than any other day ; feared neither God or man ; was going to get money irrespective of the way in which he got it. The claims of God and of society were nothing to such a man. There was the man with such' insatiable greed that he never changed his clothes on Sunday or went to a place of worship but lounged away his time between the intervals of milking. That was the man who was a danger to the fsmmunity, spreading Sabbath breaking principles over the land. And unfortunately there were many of them. Better for such a man that he had never seen the industry. In his greed for gain he was losing his soul and, injuring the community. So that while no man need suffer spiritually by the calling there were unmistakable evidences that a large number of men did. Therefore he urged that this dairying industry must be vigorously watched and brought under control. He Jbeld that the industry was one of God's best gifts to" Taranaki, and yet while he knew that there were many families who were uninjured spiritually by the unavoidable Sunday labor he must point oat that there were evils which threatened Christian society arising out of this absorbing industry. During the diecusßion previously referred to it was recommended that milk should be taken as early as possible to the factory on Sunday, so that by midday at latest factory hands should bo away, and at the conference it was admitted that during the quiet winter months there might be a delivery on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on Saturday to

'Continued on fourth page.)