DAIRY FARMERS’ EARNINGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21242, 24 January 1931, Page 12

DAIRY FARMERS’ EARNINGS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Under the heading of Dairy Farmers’ Earnings you have published a letter signed “ Ikey.” I think that a number of your correspondent’s remarks are a little far fetched with regard to dairying expenses. He states that a dairy assistant’s wages are le per hour, when they are, according to his hours, equal to Is 4d per hour. As the dairy assistant gets his wage wet or dry he ought to.see for himself why the member of the River Trust referred to dairy employees instead of to trust employees. As regards the expense in connection with dairying and the average yield a cow should give, I am afraid “ Ikey’s ” estimate is well off the mark. I have a herd of 25 cows and at the height of the season my cows gave me about 60 gallons of milk and a 3.2 test, and towards the latter part of the season they fall off considerably in their yield. We will compare “ Ikey’s ” figures with mine, however, and see how far out “ Ikey ” is. At this season’s price of 9d for butter-fat I receive from my cows the sum of about 14s 6d. It takes three persons an hour to milk these cows —six hours per day, wages 6s. As Ido not get whey from the dairy, the carting the milk involves the cost of more time. It takes two hours to deliver the milk two miles and wash cane, etc.—wages Bs. If it be assumed that grazing costs Is per head of cows per week, that equals about 4s per day;—expense 12s. I now have the large sum of 2s 6d to,come and go on. Last year I had 28 cows, but three of them did not come in this year and I lost heavily on that. I think “ Ikey ’ will now see that the dairy farmers’ earnings are well below those of the lowest paid dairy assistant.—l am, etc., January 22. Daibx Farmer.