CHILD LABOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19781, 31 October 1927, Page 12

CHILD LABOUR.

Sir —To one who has visited hundreds of cow sheds in this province during milking time and has had the privilege of staying over-night with hospitable dairymen and thus being permitted to view at close quarters the mode of family life, the tirade of slanderous abuse levelled at the finest band of workers this country possesses is enough to raise the ire of a Maori carving. That a body of pe°F e so worthy and deserving should be accused of requiring special legislation to protect their own flesh and olood from the callous greed and grinding slavery heartlessly mforced by their money grabbing parents,, proves how susoeptib.e certain townsmen are to the old complaint of blind ignorance and fatuous arrogance. One Who Knows Them.

Sir —Where there are large families the work' of milking is not heavy. In J fact, sitting down where cows are hanamilked is a rest. Many struggling settlers get road and other well-paid work, and let the family milk the cows. Separating, washing up and shea washing is mostly done by a hired man. Just now many dairy farms are changing hands on account of the excessive taxation, but those who are sticking to their farms will soon be rewarded by better times. ers whose gross returns are over £IOOO per season are as hard pushed as tne struggling dairyfarmer. They pay hired labour in cases three men to milk 100 cows on shares or wages, and when the season is over most of the proceeds have been eaten up to reduce war Jeans. Children who are brought up on farms are seldom sick, those who rise early and go to bed early are healthier and live longer than those who live in towns and rise and go to bed late. The early morning air has a health-giving property unknown to tardy dwellers in our towns. Oparau. G. H. Mackenzib.

Sir,—Some doubtless estimable folk are worrying themselves about the imagined hardships of farmers' children. In your issue ol October 28, P. Armitage calls on the Child Welfare Association to get an opinion from the Government medical officers on the effect on growing children of a 12 to 14-hour day, and so forth. If these good people wish for facts let them look up the annual report of the Health Department for the present year. Therein thev will find a report prepared by Drs. Paterson and Marsden on the physical growth of New Zeaiand school children. The figures given show that the average height and weight of children in the Dominion is above that of Australia, Great Britain and the United States. They also show that "the children of farmers are tallest and heaviest.* As these scientific investigators find that "the average height and weight of children attending rural schools is appreciably greater than of those living in the city,' it remains for the ultra-sentimentalists among the farming community to start a campaign to ascertain why the urban parents overwork and underfeed their offspring. A movement to put city children on milking farms seems desirable. CiKCIKNAxUS.

THE ROAD TO HELENSVILLE. Sir,—Can you tell me of any -way to get through safely by road to Helens villi:*, at the present time ? The Swanson Bridge is being re-built and only a very temporary crossing there. After the week-end s rain it is impossible to pass over same, with any degree of safety. The only other road I know is Lincoln Road, which would be very good if only those in favour would have all the loose metal rolled, and not left for the cars to scatter in all directions, as thev plough over it, and there is one piece*still remaining—about 10 chains—of the old clay road. This proved a fair deathtrap last Monday, a number of cars were help up. It was nothing but a • deeply ploughed field of mud. " The cars slid around in every direction, and it was only by a miracle they were not turned rignt over. But for the timely help of some more fortunate motorists, who got across earlier, many would have been in a sorry plight. Surely this being the main road through to the North, this small piece of clay road should be metalled and then one could go through in safety. Disgusted Traveller.