North Otago Times SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 1901. CHILD LABOR.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 9779, 12 January 1901, Page 2

North Otago Times SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 1901. CHILD LABOR.

A Wellington paper strikes the first discordant note in tie progress of the dairying industry. It points out in effect that the industry lias been built up on tlie bent backs of the children of those engaged in it; that children of tender years, at the first streak of dawn in the summer time, aucl long before it in winter time, have to rise from their beds to engage in the work of milking and attenc iug to the cows, The state of the weather is neve: considered, for it is work that cannot bo put oil, There is no pleasurable variety in the work, aud it becomes absolute drudgery, aud children who have experienced this, sort jf slavery are apt to throw off parental control .as they grow up and leave the work in.disgust, Early in tho morning and late at night, in fair weather and foul, these children have to ply their nimble fingers in milking and feeding the cows, with school hours in between. The law compels the education of children, and while it is necessary, for tho parents' sake, that fcliework of the dairy should be attended to, it is also necessary, in the interests of the State, that children should be educated. There are no holidays, no breaks in the monotony of the work, which forces on the children a life of only eating, sleeping and working. All this the paper' points out, and it furthor says that Parliament has accepted the duty of providing regulations for the control of children in regard to the work tliey can be called upon to do. Obviously the work, whicli is healthy, is not calculated to detrimentally affect the children, physically, but must affeob them mentally, for how, the paper asks, is this physical, and mental strain to be kept up for twelve br fourteen hours a day? As Parliament has regulated tho work of children in other industries it 1 must step in sooner or later, audregulato in dairying too. All that the Wellington paper says is in accord with the sentiment of the age. Parliaments, and especially the New Zealand Parliament, have asserted the principle that children under a certain age should not be allowed'to engage themselves to work for a.wage, and that over and under certain prescribed ages the hours should be regulated; ami if tUo people did not

endorse the action of Parliament suoh .] laws would be unlikely to find a place in .1 the; Statute books, if thea it is wrong to compel child to work long hours at, . any industry, or possibly prevent it . working at all, Parliament, to; be con-;; sistent, must exercise its right to hold the scales of justice evenly. But what would bo tlio effect of introducing' legislation dealing with .the boys and girls engaged in the dairying industry ? i If we said it would kill the industry we j might be charged with exaggerating the effect of-such laws; but if the industry | were not killed It would at least be , dwarfed and restricted into dimensions that would mean the destruction of ninetenths u of its volumo. It is an essential faot in the dairying industry that it cannot be carried on successfully unless with the assistance of children. No dairy farmer; oyen at the present prico of the product, can afford to hire the adult labor that would be necessary to work his dairy farm, It has been tried, and it has failed. New Zealand is- a country of high wages, and we cannot hope to compete against Den< mark, with its superabundance of children, or tho Argentine, with its cheap native labor. Parliament, when it doos face the question, and sorno one is certain to bring it forward, will have to consider it from the point of viow of whether it is to be allowed to live or whether it is to bo killed. Philanthropists have as big a question before them here as ever tho drink traffic afforded.

Mails for Durban direct, per Border Knight, close at Lyttelton to-day, at 4 p.m.

Thursday, the 17th, and not tho lath, is the date uf tho Rivers Commission meeting at Livingstone,

At' Addiugfcon on Wednesday there were sold for Mr J. A, Sutton (Oainaru) 220 wethers at 17s Id to 18s Bd.

• Mr R, Blair will sell on Thursday noxt, on the premises, at Corner of Reed ami Usk streets, property at Ngapara, furnituro, stock-in-trade, etc.

The National Mortgago and Agoney Company will offer, on Saturday, January 26th, Springfield farm, consisting of 157 acres, situated close to tlio Totara, Awamoa, and Taipo Hill estates. Messrs Fleming and Hedley and the Natioual Mortgage and Agency Company'will offer, at the Commercial Yards, on -aturday next, 25 draught mares and geldings, as well as several pedigreed mares and Allies.

Mails for Australia, Tasmania, Ceylon, India, China, and Straits Settlements, also South Africa, Continent of Europe, and United Kingdom, close at Auckland, per Mariposa on Monday, tho 14th, at 4.30 p.m. The Dunback correspondent of the Palmerston Times says that tho Government limo kilns havo been built in the wrong place, and through some defocts in the kiln itself burning has ceased. Tho settlers aro therefore deprived of the opportunity of getting lime. A remedy for tho existing state of affairs is asked for.

Tlio New Zealand Times says: On the occasion of his transfor to Oatnaru, Mr R. do Lambert,- of tho Accountants' branch at tho General Post Office, Wellington, was presented by his friends in the servico with a portmanteau and pocket-book, suitably inscribed, The presentation was mado by Mr W. Collaghan,

Tho Lyttelfcon Times of the tOth says: Messrs .George King and Co. yesterday shipped' 70 two-tooth purebred Border Leicester ranis from the flock of Mr W. Boag, of Brooksido. To-day they will send away 45 two-tooth purebred Bordor. Loicestbr ramsfrem the flock of tlio Hon. Matthew Holmes, < amaru. All these rams liavo been secured for clients in tho North Island. Messrs Guinness and LoCren will olfor on Friday, tlio 18th instant, on the premises, Hannaton, the goodwill of Mr J. M'Carthy's lease iu perpetuity of 50 acres, as well as tho livo and dead stock; on Saturday, 20th' January, at their sale rooms, Waiiuate, Mrs F. W. Roberts' farm, at Upper Ilock, of 340 acres; and have for private salo Mr Mosfcyn Jones' Akatere Estate. Tho British India Steam Navigation Company have secured the contract for the transport of coolies between Calcutta and Fiji during the present year. Three steamers will be employed to do this work, leaving Calcutta for Fiji on February 20th, April stl>, and May 15th respectively. As opportunities of steam freight between Calcutta for Fiji do not offer frequently no doubt those interested in the trade will be glad of the opportunities thus afforded, of doing business direct between tho two ports. Tho Union Steam Ship Company are tho New Zealand Agents for the British India line.

Messrs Dalgety and Company, Limited, have received the following cable message from their London office, under .'date of Bth instant; " Wool—Tho list of arrivals for the January sales, which open on the 15th instint, is closed. The amouut available, including 183,000 bales brought forward from last sories, being 339,000 bales. Antwerp Wool Sales—As compared witli last sales prices are on tho average 10 per cent higher." From oar Melbourne office we have to-day received tho following cablo:' 1 Wool sales resumed. The market is buoyant, but there is no quotable change in prices. Tho decrease in the Australasian shipments to 31st Docember amounts to 217,000 bales."