FARMERS AND WORKERS.

Southland Times, Issue 22491, 28 January 1935, Page 3

FARMERS AND WORKERS.

To the Editor.

Sir, —A year or two ago we farmers experienced a bit of trouble in obtaining men for harvesting, but through the aid of the Press we came to an agreement with the Unemployment Board that if a farmer asked any man on the unemployment roll to do a day or two’s harvesting, and he refused to go, he was, if reported, struck off the roll. This, sir, saved the situation as far as the farmer -went, but we must look after the worker, and treat him fairly, so I wish to ask you on their behalf: If a man goes to a farmer’s place and works well, and gets rabbits for dinner—say one baked rabbit between six people—and he refuses to eat it, and won’t go to work for that man again, is he to be struck off the roll? If so, I say they are not getting justice, for I consider that any man who brags about getting the interest of £l5OO to live on should have a nice piece of beef or mutton, hot or cold, for men at the harvest time. Some farmers can dress well, fly about in a motor car to everything that goes on: let them treat their workmen fairly. This sort of thing reminds me of a certain small farmer some few years ago, who went into a saddler’s shop to buy a pair of reins. After wrangling about for a whole day, he came to terms with the saddler, arranging that the saddler would make a new pair of leather reins for £1 cash. “Well,” says the farmer, “what are the old ones worth?” “Oh,” says the saddler, “if you are very lucky you might get 6/- for them at the mart.” Well, Scottie got the new reins next day, handed the saddler the old reins and 14/-; but the saddler threw him the old reins and told him that he was not a second-hand dealer. These sort of games spoil it for a respectable farmer and lam glad to say that.—l am, etc., NOT AN ABERDONIAN.