THE DAYLIGHT SLAVING ACT (DECEASED).

Southland Times, Issue 20446, 26 March 1928, Page 3

THE DAYLIGHT SLAVING ACT (DECEASED).

Sir, —You and several of your correspondents are very emphatic the farmer can and should knock off work at a set time and start work at a set time each day, week after week, and that the farmers and their families are opposing the Daylight Saving Bill just through pig-headedness. You, Mr Editor, who have often said your sympathies are with the cockie, should know that farming cannot be carried on in all weathers. The Daylight Saving is all right for you people who have your eight hours set time, wet or dry, but it should be altered to Daylight Slaving for the cockie. Southland has had an extraordinarily good summer and autumn, but the very wet spring kept work back. May I inform you and “Live and Let Live,” etc., that ploughed land cannot be worked in wet weather. Grain' cannot be threshed, harvested or sown in wet weather, or grass cannot be threshed in a high wind. Grass cannot be harvested in a high wind. Grain, etc., cannot be cut into sheaves until the dew is off or (should there have been rain overnight) till the crop has dried. You, Mr Editor, and etc., think all that out. How can one knock off at 5 p.m. under those circumstances? Here’s some more: Your Daylight Slaving Act forces me up, wet or dry, one hour earlier than 1 ordinarily would get up, being a dairy farmer. Should it be a wet day practically nothing can be done on a farm, therefore the time has got to be made up when it’s fine, very often the team has to be worked from early morning to late at night. Where does your D.S. come in there? Again midday meal is 11 a.m. God’s time (and as you or Mr Sidey can’t alter the movement of the sun) means that one is ready again to commence horse work at one or half-past (in the heat of the day) instead of 2 or 2.30.

Coming to cow-spanking: Before Sidey time the cows during summer are not disturbed, say in thousands of cases, till from 5.30 to 6 a.m. More than probable most spankers have a snack about 3.30-4 p.m., feed pigs, etc., milk, and then have their tea, Sidey’s time; the cows will be disturbed at 4.30 to 5 a.m. God’s time. Coolers or no, if the cows are fooled around at 4 in the evening the milk supply will suffer. I have been in the habit of working till 4 p.m., having tea (no afternoon tea), feeding incidental stock and then milking, which brings me back to the old time for milking at night, so that I avoid fooling the cows round until the sun is reasonably low. I have quoted original time as neither Sidey nor anyone else can alter the sun or tides. I may also inform you and your correspondents that this summer and autumn ’are very: abnormal and I must inform you that practically no seeding can be carried out in the wet weather. One cannot ditch, fence, shear sheep, crutch sheep, cut chaff, topdress, sow lime, thatch stacks, etc., while it’s raining, which means that they are practically all fine weather jobs, some even cannot be done in a high wind. All this means that time must be made up by (as I said before) working in suitable weather from daylight to dark. Should you still believe, Mr Editor, etc., that a cocky can knock off early in the evening and fool around, why not get a farm yourself and try it out, only mind, Mr Editor, etc., you have to be a working farmer, not a gentleman farmer. By a gentleman farmer I mean such as say Mr W. D. Hunt, R. A. Anderson, J. G. Ward, etc. You mustn’t work your farm from the office chair. You must get out and do your bit.—l am, etc., “BACK TO THE LAND.” P.S.—You must admit the hardships for the mothers under D.S. Mr J. Smith, who skited the D.S. up at first, has now withdrawn.