1.—15.

10

[R. W. SHALLCRASS.

Then with respect to the factory hours : is there not an award with respect to factory hours ? —I do not think there is any award, but lam not positive. But they are not affected. The factories receiving milk are affected by the hours ?—How ? Well, they have to comply with the trains ? —But they are not affected by the trains. You say the Bill does not affect the farmers, but you will agree that the stock-sales will have to comply with the trains in order that buyers may be able to attend ? —Yes. Thus they are affected in their sales on sale-day ?— To their advantage. Mr. Girling.] Do you consider that this Bill will be of economic advantage I — Yes. Mr. Daniel James Hawke examined. (No. 4.) The Chairman.] You are a farmer residing at Sheffield ?—-Yes. 1 may say that twenty years ago we were milking cows, and discontinued milking for a time and went in for wheat-growing ; but during the last five years we have returned, to milking cows again. This season we are milking fifty cows. As you are all aware, a farmer is a hardworking man and puts in long hours. Our cream is separated in the dairy by our own separator. It is gathered by the factory conveyance about lunchhour and put on to the train at 4- o'clock, and is taken to the central dairy factory at Ohristehurch. We claim, sir, that this Bill which is at present before the Committee will not affect us in the least us dairy-farmers. My son, who served, two years at the front, came back to Now Zealand a convert to daylight-saving after what he has seen in France as well as in my own native County of Cornwall. I have spoken to several farmers about this question in our district, and they are in favour of this Bill, and they cannot see that it is going to have any detrimental effect on the dairy-farmers. They claim that in this case, and in most other cases, we should meet the townspeople, and not have the old story of town versus country and country versus the town. We submit that if there was a little more give and take on the part of the town people and the country people we should get on much better than by fighting one against the other. T may say that only last evening, just before going aboard the ferry-steamer, 1 met Mr. J. Read, of R. and J. Head, Darfield. who, as we all know, stands high in the farming community, and when I mentioned, to him where 1 was going he said, " Good on you ; lam with Mr. Sidey in his measure." They do a little dairying, but their operations are confined mostly to sheep-farming and grain-growing. Mr. Read, like myself, is a member of the Malvern County Council, and T feel almost sure that if the question were submitted before the County Council it would, be agreed to by a majority of the members. The question has never been put before us, and 1 think it is a mistake, so far as the South Island is concerned, that the question has not been submitted before us. The question of the dew affecting shearing operations has been mentioned, and I may say that, so far as my own estate is concerned, there are some four thousand sheep shorn and the dew does not affect the shearing in any shape or form. I submit, therefore, that the question of dew should never have come into the question. 1 have been a shearer since 1887, and the dew does not affect the shearing operations at all. Of course, there are different circumstances in different climates 1 No doubt. I take it, then, that the climate in the North is different to that in the South. As 1 say, the dew does not affect us. My purpose in attending this Committee is to impress upon you the necessity of giving this measure a trial. As a dairy-farmer as well as a sheep-farmer I ask you to g!ve it a trial, and do not turn it down without giving it a fair trial. Our faithful friend, Mr. Sidey, has stood by this Bill for a number of years, and I think he is a brick. We all think that ?—I could not help congratulating him when .1 heard that the measure went through its second reading in the House. I say again give it a trial before turning it down. My son, who was at the front, has gone in for tree-planting, and he spends all his leisure time in watching and attending to the growing of trees. I may say that I believe in giving my boys amusement, not harmful amusement, but good healthy amusement, and, as I say, it will not affect us to have the hour off. The old adage which was taught me as a boy that early to bed and early to rise makes a many healthy, wealthy, and wise is undoubtedly true. Mr. Sidey.] You have heard it stated here that if this scheme comes into operation it will have the effect of making a long day for the dairy-farmer: do you think that that will be the ease ? Not at all. I submit that the extra hour will be spent in the following up of some hobby. What time do you commence work in the morning ?— About 5 o'clock. Is that about the usual hour for the dairy-farmers in your district to commence work ? — Yes. And what time do you knock off in the evening ? —We knock off at 4 o'clock, and then have a. drink of tea, and then go to do the milking, which takes us about an hour and a quarter. And what is the time you knock off at night ?— From 6 o'clock to 6.30. What do you do after that ? —As I say, follow up some hobby. One of my boys goes through his trees and attends to them. What time do you usually go to bed ?—9 o'clock is our regular time. And you would still go to bed at 9 o'clock at night if this Bill came into operation ? —Yes, just the same. You are speaking for the dairy-farmer who supplies cream to the factory, and not for the dairyfarmer who supplies milk to the towns ?—-1 cannot speak , for him, because 1 have no knowledge of his position. Mr. Girling.] You mentioned that your cream was taken away at about lunch-hour and put on the train at Sheffield at about 4 o'clock i -The lad who gathers the cream has six miles to take it out, and it is put on the train at 4 o'clock. That is once a day, is it not ? —No ; every other day.