SHARE-MILKING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17269, 19 September 1919, Page 4

SHARE-MILKING.

so many replies that the farmer has taken advantage to include in his agreement that growing of crops, etc., be part of this co-operative scheme, and without further remuneration. As to the " free house" attraction, they are in many cases an insult to civilisation. The farmer does not seem to think that to make the work " right" you must make the man " right," and to do this he must live. " right. ' In our locality a progressive farmer has had installed in the house of his sharemilker a hot and cold water service; also a bath. To find a bath installed in a sharemilker's house (which I should think an essential thing to a household engaged in handling a commodity like milk), is extraordinary. My remarks might be said not to bear on Mr. Colbeck's correspondence, but my desire was that readers should not be under any misapprehension as to what farmers are doing in co-opera-tive effort. Hakkt Thomas. Piako.

Sir,—ln the Herald of August 6Mr I Frank Colbeck explains how share-milking : differs lrom piecework. Readers may have ! assumed from his remarks that the dairy , farmers of Auckland were running a : scheme that was co-operative as between employer and employee. The fact is the j idea did not originate with that purpose ! nor is it continued on the same ground! bhare-milking is a method to obtain first . cheap labour and secondly, good results! 1 or vice-versa, according to the vision of i the employers. It constitutes in work j seven days a week for 52 weeks in the I year. Taking the average shed to be 100 I cows (about), that constitutes work for 1 three people seven days a week (with no ! half-day), each day averaging 12 to 13 hours. Share-milking solves a labour I problem for the farmer that unionism ! would make impossible. Of late the cost' i of living has driven hundreds of family ; men to seek the country. A feature of most agreements is the free house, and this has led many a family man to take .up the life. As a consequence advertise- « joejits for share-milk erg have brought forth