PUBLIC OPINION THE PLOUGHMAN-NURSE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9625, 3 April 1917, Page 3

PUBLIC OPINION

THE PLOUGHMAN-NURSE

To the Editor "N.Z. Times/' Sir,—lt was most interesting to read the report in your paper this morning of th© interview Sir Janies Alien gavo to th© representative of the ' Otago Daily Times" on the subject—pniicipthe maintenance of tho New Zealand fighting forces at tho front. Of course one is always pleased to hear th© opinions, and, if possible, to profit by th© advice of thos© in high authority. For my part, one of Sir James Allen's ‘remarks positively enthralled me. May X quote it? "As regards production/ he says, "there can bo no doubt that the sending of 70,000 or 80,000 men out of the country makes it more difficult to keep up our products, but this problem, I am perfectly sure, we can face if every individual will set himself the task to help to do it. I will give an instance. As I cam© down on Friday in the train I saw a farmer a plough. In on© hand he had th© reins, and in the other he was nursing the baby. This is typical of what I think every man ought to do and every woman at a time like this." . One scarcely realised, s hitherto, what a fascinating subject the harnessing of human energy could be. Truly Sir James's remarks open up—to borrow a cliche from your morning contemporary —"a new vista of thought," One sees the day hurrying towards us when a human creature so ambidexterously employed as the man with the ploughshare and tho baby will no longer bo an object of surprise and kindly interest. On© soes the day simply rushing towards us when a man. who can -sit comfortably and indolently on a plough, merely minding a baby and a team ot horses, and with no occupation* whatever for his feet, will bo an object of contumely and loathing. One sees the day actually whizzing towards us when an old-fashioned adage like "One thing at a time, and that don© well/ will be discerned .to have a meaning insidiously criminal at th© back of its seeming simplicity. Meanwhile, though I am > sure that every man, woman, and child in this patriotic little corner of the earth would be only too glad to emulate the glib feats of th© agrarian gentleman, I should like to point out, meekly, that not all of us possess a ploughsnare, a team of horses, or even a baby; and that even, if we did* this combination of usefulness is only on© combination after all. Still, of course, all suggestions are helpful. Do you think it likely that Sir James Allen, in his way back in the train, might encounter another on© for those of us who are not very inventive on resourceful? —I am, etC *’ CALL TO ARMS.

To the Editor "N.Z. Times" Sir,—ln your issue this morning you reported Sir James Alien as having said in Dunedin, as illustrative of the manner in which the production of the country could bo maintained and each one lend extra help: "As I came down on Friday in tho train X saw a farmer driving a plough. In on© hand h© had the reins and with tho other he was nursing his baby. This is typical of what I think every man and woman ought to do at a time like this —take on a little more work and work longer hours/' As a regular reader of your paper I should like to inquire—if you can tell me—whether this was meant to be taken seriously or humorously. If as a joke—which it would appear to be—then surely such humour is inopportune at times like these. If seriously, perhaps Sir James would tell us how th© ploughman held the plough handle or if tho plough steered itself, or if it didn't, what sort of ploughing resulted. As on© who has had some amateur experience of farming I am curious to hear more about this feat of arms. Moreover, does Sir James suggest that any ordinary ploughman could carry a baby in one arm and drive a team with the other for, say, an hour, let alone for a considerable portion of the day. If one could imagine that the Minister for Defence were totally ignorant of farm work, one would be tempted to think that he suffered a common deception and that ho thought the train was stationary and the ploughman moving, whereas the train was moving and th© ploughman merely nursing his baby for a few minutes whilst his team was resting, and probably his wife was not far away. Trusting you will be able either to avoid Sir James appearing to have used such 'B, childish illustration or els© explain such a phenomenon.—l am, etc., COMMON SENSE.