HUMAN BEASTS OF BURDEN.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXII, Issue 12382, 5 February 1908, Page 4

HUMAN BEASTS OF BURDEN.

The proposal to limit the weight of grain sacks carried on the railways to 2001 b, which, by the way, takes effect in the Dofinion next year", haa been ridiculed in some quarter, but it is evident that the proposal is not an unreasonable one, if we judge by recent^experiences in Victoria. farmers object to the Teduction in the weight of grain sacks, but the Melbourne Age thinks that if they watched these lumpers handling sack,s for five minutes their objections would vanish. The sacks range in weight from 2601 bto well over 3001 b, and on the day in question, when the temperature was 110 degrees*'in the shade, the men carried them for eight hours. At other times they work from 10 to 12 hours. The work goes on without spells, the men. keeping up a continuous circuit from the trupks to the sheds. A man staggers in with his great load, over treacherous springing planks, lets it fall, gasps for Breath, wipes the sweat from his face, and then it is his turn again. "There is a look of dumb resignation in his staring, vacant eyes. He plants his feet a little more firmly beneath him, grits his teeth a little harder, and staggers on to the planks with t even greater speed than before. Half-way up, the springing of his uncertain footway and the crushing weight of his burden, combine /to destroy his balance. •He sways from side to side, wrestling with the dead weight on his shoulders to prevent a smashing fall, and finally regains his equilibrium by clutching at an upright with one hand, while he grips the sack with the other." In the holds of the vessels the work is just as trying. The Age says that the big-muscled athlete who can lift great weights over his head would be no use at this w.ork, the cruelty of which lies in the number of hours. Even the strongest break down after a few years of it, with strained backs and weakened heart,s. Stories are told of splendid self-sacrifice by some of these men. A few years ago there was^a wheat lumper known as "Old Bob," whose strength and endurance were regarded as phenomenal. A comrade, with a family of nine depending on him, fell ill, and for some days "Old Bob" carried two sacks to each of the other men's one, and handed his extra earnings to the sick man's family. Not long aftetfwarxls "Old Bob" was laid aside with a strained heart. The Minister of Customs i 6 determined tht sacks shall be limitedto 2001 b. \