TEACHERS PROTEST

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 51, Issue 3112, 29 April 1942, Page 4

TEACHERS PROTEST

CHILDREN IN MILKING SHEDS

AFFECTING THEIR VITALITY.

“ The sub-branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute views with grave concern and apprehension the increasing use of children of tender age, and both sexes in the milking sheds during both early morning and evenings, for seven days weekly. “The detrimental effects, physical and mental of such a practice are serious and irremediable, and are common in dairying districts with resultant reduced vitality, slow mentality, and irregularity of attendance. “This branch .earnestly seeks public censure for the practice becoming so noticeable with many manpower committees in requesting and expecting the employment of young children in such arduous and soul-searing work. The remedy for labour for production purposes lies in other directions obvious to the general community such as the redrafting and the displacement of the manpower from luxury and non-essential industries to those that are, and a variation in the working hours, 1 ” was a resolution passed at a meeting of the Paeroa Sub-branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute recently.

When the above resolution was referred by the Gazette to the chairman of the Paeroa Manpower Committee, Mr Edwin - Edwards, he stated' that he did not feel disposed to comment on the question, adding that it had not been the policy of his committee to direct children of tender years into cowsheds. iiiiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii>'iiii!iiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!imiiUrHi