CHILDREN OF THE DAIRY

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6928, 30 January 1906, Page 1

CHILDREN OF THE DAIRY

_ 4 small and pathetic sufferers

In a previous article (says the Wellington Post) on the subject of the employment of children on the dairy farina of this country we set out a brief but con ise indictment of the system aud a statement on the other sido. U. th were written by school-teachers in dairying districts, in this article we sjive the views of another school teacher, similarly located, who has sent u-; a long commuuication. H'.s mode of focussing the quosti.." is .nteresiiug ;.ud instructive. ':e s ms up the wh-le situation thus succinctly." 'e cord ng to the Official Year U ..... T .i !'J.i4 Uie export of butter aud cheese fr.-:n tii.cuuutry was. m 1893, valued at i37iS.sl ! '. while in 1903 it hi lisou t) il 1 ..1.5.nti5. Most of that increase was obtain? 1 by th • little hands and cramtei iiugeis of aiinu.-; children, often Wet to t!in skin, av.d « ik ing their hearts out for p.ireats compelled tu utilise every ouuc • .1 kbo'.r to >• ak<their sections pay." And while our city ractoiies aud shops are .mder rigid ;n sptction, tliere is no protecting arm ex tended by the fctate to these little slaves uf the dairy.

" It is 4 or 5 o'clock in the morninV continues our informant. "Ihe child, whose age is between seven and fourteen y»as, must awake from sleep, and with baif-opened e>es dress quickly and go forth to tnug the cows in. be may ha e to climb hilis, i.nd '-e may be barefooted." Then the workjof milking follows. Iq the controversy in 19j2 the dairying apologists declared that this labour was especially healthy and invigorating, ami anything but labor..us. We are assuivd that this may be true of the work—it is the long hours that do the ha m, for every boy or girl must work two and a-halt or three hours at milking every day. This is the dreary day of tue dairy child: " After milking six or seven cows, he goes to school —often a walk of two or three miles—taking his lunch with him. Thßre he is expected to keep awake and struggle with his lessons until dismissed in the afternoon. On his return home there s small interval before the evening milking, and at 7.30 or 8 p.m. the family sit down to tea, and then go to bed. Amusement there is none. Recreation is quite out of the question

"Now, the children who attend school must work very long hours, and out of the 2-t six must be spent at school, including one heur at mid-day, and quite one to one and a half hours must be added for time occupied in going and returning, thus amounting to fourteen hours on five days in the week—7o in all. One c.uld say they work 71 hours, including Saturday and Sunday. In spite of that barbarous child-labour tho colony rej dees when it bears of an increase in the butter returns. Profit obtained at the expense of little children who are robbed of sleep and happiness can be of no advantage to a community, there is as much need for legislation on their behalf as for men who Work in cities."

Dealing with the obvi us impo : sibility that children so overtaxed can copj with their school lessons, our correspondent says: " Do you wonder at the remarks of the vaiious inspectors of schools in their annual reports when they complain that the children do net seem to grasp English composition, reading, spelling, writing and arithmetic? It is a wonder the poor children are able to do any of the subjects at all. if the youngsters had not their bodily strength so sapped they would do betti r and satisfy the most exacting inspector. I firmly believe that many teachers in country schools are keenly alive to the wf aried bodies and played-ouc minds of their pupils. They do not refer to it, as tbey know it is useless. The thoughtful master dispenses, much against his will, with home lessens throughout the summer season."

Here follow some suggesti na by this observant teachpr : "In connection with the introduction of agricultural training in our country schools, I would advise tho Education Department not to expect too much from pupils already weary. They have enough practical gardening at home after school hours or on Saturdays. Last summer I was in a district where several settlers infoimed me that they strongl.v o ; .j >c -d to gardenia,' being included in tho school Byllabus, as the children were not sent to do that kind of work, but mental. They could i -struct them at home, they s>id. I do not know whether they thought milking cows nork or play! If the work is laborious-and in my opinion gardening is not easy—the Department is only increasing the children's burden."

This is the substance of a communication that is distressing. It concludes: " Labour laws have been made for the benefit of adults who are well able to look after their own interests, and surely the Government can do something for the weak and helpless groaning under their loal."

In the tvvo articles which we devote 1 to this subject there appears to bo reason to believe that theproolerii of child-slavery is still one that shoull at leist be inspired into in a systematic fashion. The three teachers whose observations we have presented are from widely separated districts, and were chosen without any knowledge of the state of things ex-ting there.