UNEMPLOYED QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20668, 13 September 1930, Page 20

UNEMPLOYED QUESTION.

FARMER'S GOOD EXAMPLE.

A Morrinsvillo correspondent writes:— " So far unemployment has not been a serious question in Morrinsvillo, but tho enormous increase in the numbers of unemployed throughout this and every other country in the world has been the subject of much talk among local people. Farmers say that they could employ a lot moro labour if men would work as they had to in tho early days and were satisfied with reasonable wages, but they cannot afford to pay tho high wages that men now ask. Ono farmer in Tatuanui district, who now owns ono of tho best farms in tho district, some 300 acres, gave a vnry Interesting account of how he worked himself up on a wage of £2 a week to his present enviable, independent position by downright hard work. Ho was employed by Mr. Soifert, to cart flax fibro from Tauhei to Tauporio, with a fivo hcrso team. By getting up at half past two in tho morning to feed his horses and keep them in tho best of condition, ho could take a load of four tons. Tho trip to Tauporio, somo 15 miles, took him fivo hours each way. Ho generally had an equally heavy load back, and by tho time he had attended to his team and loaded his waggon for the morning it was after 6 or 7 o'clock before ho had finished his day's work. After doing this for some time, and keeping a wife and family, ho did a bit of contract work on his own account, and managed to save enough to buy the block of land ho now owns, at that timo undrainod and covered with tea-treo and timber, at a very low prico, but so unpromising in appearance that few would have taken it as a gift.

With no roads worth mention, no capital, and little or no stock, he set to work, between his contract jobs, to break it in. It has taken liirn closj on 20 years to do so, but by dint of hard work, good management and undaunted pluck, ho has turned as difficult a block of land as any one could possibly tacklo, into ono of the best dairy farms in the district, without the aid of tho Government or any financial institution. His advico to tho unemployed is " Go and do likewise."