FARM LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1671, 11 February 1913, Page 3

FARM LABOUR.

Sir,—Under the above heading in your j issue of January 31, a correspondent, "Bill Hook,", gives his views on the question, and is good pnough to invite "any cockatoo" to come forward with his iido "and sign his name." This is a bit sudden of "Bill." Why doesn't he sign his own name first? The lot of the farm hand is not half so-bad as "Bill Hook" makes out. Ho must have had exceptional bad luck. Prom my* experience 'lis a farm .hand and small dairy farmer, I have no hesitation in saying the forhier. has on the whole much tho best time. The farm hand has a certain income, risks no capital, and has no anxieties. His occupation is a healthy one with much more variety than, most occupations, and much of tho work on a: farm is light and easy. The hours are long at certain times, but short at'others.. The competent' farm' hand can always get plenty of work in the winter if he wants it. If he doasnt like the place, or desires a change, he canalways move on and get another job. The pleasantest time of my life in New Zealand, was when I was workiug as a farm/ hand.' I didn't realise how well off I was, and thought it would be nicer to bo my own boss. • I, did not' have "cheerless and uninviting" quarters to live in; I Was treated as one of the .'family. The small dairy farmer very often has a pretty hard time of it. Ho generally has., a fairly largo family, and though his receipts may appear good there are many drains on it, and during the'first ten or twelve years of his married life, when he has to do most of the work on a IOQ-acre farm, he doesn't, put on much beef or have'time or money to indulge in "town pleasures." i

"Bill Hook" • infers the average small farmer is a stingy lot, and that if "his season is prosperous he does not share' it in any way with those whose labour has been a contributing cause.',' I admit he doesn't, but, on the ,other hand, woultt the ■ average farm hand at the end of'a bad season, when the farmer had had many-losses, return any part of -his wages, even though he might have been a contributing cause of those-losses? (I know of a case where a ■ farm hand, through carelessness, lost his boss a pair of valuable horses just through not putting the brake on and Tying reins back.) I have no complaint to urgo against Hie farm hand. . I. have always found him a good, fellow, rather inclined to-order one about,'but you get used .to that.- He doesn't have half the. badtime "Bill-Hook"makes out, .enjoys life, and is more contented than . the average casual labourer in'; town. I fail to see that the advertisement "Bfll".. mentions strengthens, his- case against the small farmer. The "man, young, six years at. farming," might liavo been on "his own." lie may liavo come jfrom town thinking farming .was .a nice jcasy: life, and wants to get back .to another. -Ho may have been crossed'in love, or got a bad attack'of "that tired ■feeling," which' makes him ''willing" to get any occupation in town, where at any irate lis.' will be_ sure of somo congenial companion?. No, the small farmer is not nearly as black as : "Bill Hook" paints him, and if I-had the chance I would lose no time in getting a job with some .I know at 25s.'a week, and. am sure should "feel as though -I were having a holiday."—l am, etc., '

W. NEWTON STEPHENSON. Tariki, Tarauaki, February, 3. —I— ' .