THE FARMERS'- UNION AND THE FARM LABOURER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12393, 1 July 1902, Page 3

THE FARMERS'- UNION AND THE FARM LABOURER.

. to Tiii; rorron, 1 Sin,—The unreasoning bovino brain of "The Cow with the Crumpled Horn" discovers in my lettor an admission that thoro cannot be a "statutory half-holiday" for the farm workers, I mado .no such admission. I know that a legal half-holiday can ho given to the farm workers of every grade, oven as the half-holiday has been given to tho workers in other industries where cortain 'duties must of necessity bo performed with unfailing regularity, A half-holiday, implies so many, hours freedom *Irom tlio ordinary duties of the farm. Tho usual number of hours can bo given without interference wi(h really necessary work, such as milking, feeding stock, ctc. Your correspondent is only « "Cow," and cannot, therefore, bo cxpected to understand those matters,"so that one eon forgivo tlio bovino vanity that attributes my delay in answering his letter to the strength o'f tho argument contained therein. The simple facts are: I was oik a five-days' journoy, and I would not' answer his lettor whilst there was tho least chance of a more sensible. writer taking'up tho cudgels for tho other side. Meanwhile, if your correspondent would sign his name, apologiso to the "kyo" for saddling them with tho responsibility , for his vapid and illogical effusions, and, above • all, drop tho contemptible trick-of dating his correspondence from " Waihola," when it is written in a totally different place, thoh the general reader .may'bo in a better position to judge tho bona fides of your correspondent.—l am, etc,, , W. D MA bon, Middlemareh, June 28.