MILITARY REJECTS AS FACTORY WORKERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 October 1915, Page 6

MILITARY REJECTS AS FACTORY WORKERS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln your issue of the 27th inst., appears a letter signed "Reader," in which he refers to a letter of the 21st signed "Factory Manager." Render wonders whether this is a nom de plume, he evidently appears to think it is. I wish to inform that I am a bona fide factory manager. "Reader" informs us that every factory manager knows that none but strong and healthy men can stand the exhaustive work of cheese-making. I agree with him that the work of manufacturing cheese is hard, and as I started at the bottom of the ladder and have been right through, I think I am in a position to know. But here is where "Reader'' makes a great mistake. He says that nine men out of ten who have been rejected by the military authorities are unfit to work in a cheese factory. There are three rejects employed by the company of wheih I am manager* and they fill their places admirably. I have three more enlisted, and if I can find three rejects to fill their places as well as the three mentioned, I shall be very well satisfied indeed. None of the rejects are suffering from disease of any kind, and if "Reader" does not belong to the medical profession, and has not been informed why these men were rejected, I am prepared to lay him a handsome little wager that he" cannot pick their defects. To prove the ability of these men, I will put down £5 if' "Reader" is prepared to cover it (the stakes to go to one of our patriotic funds), that one of the "delicate little rejects" will try conclusions with him in a sprint for a mile, or if "Reader" is not a runner I will give him another chance. If he feels inclined to try the strength uf one of the others he will be welcome to come along and don a pair of boxing gloves (for the game stake), in a twelve" round contest, and I feel pretty certain by the time he is finished he will realise that there are some fairly sound men rejected. In regard to men suffering from disease, if the scheme that I suggested were put into practice, and as the medical man knows why the men were rejected, "Reader" need "not worry Himself that these men would be asked to work in our dairy factories. In conclusion, now that I have proved that these rejects are doing the work in a cheese factory (and I know of other factories where they are doin? the work also), I think "Reader" would do well to look round and see what is being done before plunging into print. I am, etc ' FACTORY MANAGER'