BOYS AND FARMING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19860, 2 February 1928, Page 14

BOYS AND FARMING.

Sir, —One of the problems of the present day is what is to become of our boys when they leave school now that it is ISO difficult to enter them as apprentices to the better trades, or, indeed, find IJiem any suitable employment. I cannot. understand why boys are not apprenticed to farmers. Is it because farming is not supposed to need learning, as other trades are ? All over the country farmers are in need of help which cannot be had, while our boys are idle in the cities. A farmer employing a lad has generally to ' pay him far too high wages. I think I am right in saying that a boy apprenticed to a carpenter or 'to an engineer gets in his first year 15s, in the second year £l, in the third £1 ss, in the fourth £1 10s and in the last year £2 per week. Such a lad, of from 14 to 16 years of age, earning 15s weekly, and living at home, ought to pay his parents at least 10s weekly for his keep, and out of the remaining 5s he is expected to buy at least some of' his clothes, tram fares, etc. If this is so, a boy of that age working for a farmer, and being kept by him (a stranger, mind, not his parents) should receive in cash not more than 5s weekly. But where will any farmer get a lad to work for 5s and his keep, however raw and inexperienced he may be, and how- , ever long out of employment, or prospect of employment ? I can name a lad 17 j years old, who is receiving 35s a week and his keep. He is the son of a farmer, so probably knows how to be of a good deal of use, but at that age he cannot have learned the whole trade of any kind of fanning. He cannot know as much of it as a lad who has served three years as an engineer knows of engineer- ■ ing, nor is his work harder. Let him try standing eight hours at a lathe. Let him try lifting heavy shafting. My son is an engineer, and I have heard all about it, as he lived at home during his apprenticeship. My brother and many relations are farmers. I have had experience of sheep farms, dairy farms and mixed farms, and I cannot help k'lowing that farmers would be glad to employ boys, and teach them to farm, if they could get them at the wages apprentices to other trades receive. I believe in no other walk of life is a master obliged to pay such wages for inexperienced workers as a farmer is, and half the farms in the country would he all the better for an extra hand if only the farmer cc.ilcl get that hand at a reasonable wage. ».«•