THE LABOUR PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1789, 30 June 1913, Page 5

THE LABOUR PROBLEM.

POSTAL SERVICE CHANGES.

Mr. L. M. Monckton, of "The Brown," Waipawa, makes a number of practical suggestions, as under:— 1. Yes. The majority of the boys at our country schools take to farming. 2. Yes. The rtfes of commission, especially for stock, is exceptionally low in Hawke's Bay. 3. Yes. There is sometimes a shortage of trucks for fat stock in the height of the season, but we are better off, I think, { than most districts. I i. At present most of us are served by private- bags (where near a coach j route). We are charged £2 per year for \ these (we find our own bag), and where so , many settlers (per rural delivery) and , town residents are harving their mail de- , livered free—this seems an unnecessarily . high charge; We are not even allowed to i put a letter into the bag to our post- ( master, for stamps, without stamping , it. We have an excellent telephone ser- • vice, and the majority of settlers are , connected. I understand it is proposed , to make all subscribers pay an extra .£1 per annum (at present we do not pay ■ this charge) if they have any telegrams j telephoned. This seems an unnecessary | charge as it is surely easier to telephone a message than it is to send a messenger, which the post office would do if we lived within a' mile or two of the telegraph office. ' 5. Yes, to a certain extent. The educational value of shows, particularly as regards stock, is not as good as one would hope, as most of the stock shown is in hampered condition, and as regards Sheep, often faked. The same sheep turned out in ordinary feed and treated like ordinary sheep would be unrecognisable in a month or two. 6. Wo havo had several demonstrations of pruning, etc., in regard to fruit-grow-ing, which must have done good. The Department has also done a little in regard to experimenting with noxious crops. This, I don't think, has been of any; benefit so far. A good many farmers take' the Departmental monthly magazine, which is a very interesting and useful little paper at a nominal price (2s. 6d.). 7. Farmers here are not organised in any way as for as ■! know. 8. Most of tho renters of farms are doing well, a few, with perhaps harder and ' poorer farms, are not so flourishing. 9. Farm labour is not so short hero as in some districts, tho mild climate and higher wages in vogue bringing a good many men from tho'south.. At harvest there is a great scarcity of .domestic servants, even the towns are feeling this, and the country a great deal more—particularly the medium-sized farms, the lartro farmers, who employ 3 or i servants, can generally get them, as they are company for each' other. The small farmer cannot afford a girl in many coses, or when he can, she lives with the family and is ono of them and is consequently contented. But the medium-sized farm will not stand soveral servants and th'e girls find it lonely and consequently they flock to the towns, wheTe they have many more pleasures. And who can blame them ? 10. Yes. I think so. 11. The bringing out of more domestic servants and good experienced farm, labourers. "SINGLE MEN IN BARRACKS." A FACTOR THAT MAKES FOR UNREST. Mr. W. J. Poison, of Fordell, who does does not consider the questions as drafted go to tho root of'it all, however, Bends some practical suggestions in response:— (1) (Jf oour9e, the~schools are not training children for farm life. How could they? They might just as well be expected to instruct them ill legal practice or the intricacies of the grocery trade. These are not the functions of our schools. (2) North Island farmers generally, I think, do not get as good returns as their South Island neighbours,... particularly having regard to meat. Canterbury mutton and lamb, for example, do not realise such high prices in London as to make the discrepancy in the local prices of North and South Island meat. (3) I think every farmer grumbles more or less at railway methods* especially when trucks fail to materialise, and, of course, the condition of the North Island roads speaks for itself. As a fact, in the handling of fat stock our ' railways fail so scandalously that it is difficult to write calmly on the point. If some estimate of the loss through damage to stock could be obtained, it would stagger even our imperturbable Minister for Railways. (1) The telephone service is yet in its infancy; until we have systems of rural exchanges, cheaper telephonic construction, and evoning communication, tho service will be capable of great improvement. (5) Tho shows are, I think, of the greatest value. (G) Certainly it has. If there is ono Department of the State which farmers unite in praising it is the Department of ■ Agriculture. (7) Farmers do not organise, and their wives probably take after tliem. We have ; | no buying or selling organisation that I i am aware of hereabouts. | (8) I imagine so, although there are ex- ; ceptions. At all events values are rising ! j steadily, which is naturally in tho renter's , favour. It is like buying in a rising 1 market. (!)) Tne supply of labour is not suffi--1 cient. If our farmers do not pay as they [ should, it is because we are unable to adequately work them. . (10) Perhaps the better plan would ho ! to apply to the worker himself for an. , answer to this question. All farms are net run on similar lines. , (11) If by betterment you mean increasing the contentment of the commun- , itv merely, then apply the Act regarding workers' dwellings more vigorously to the ! country, so that men can marry and . settle down. It is time New Zealand 1 passed out of the "single men in bari racks" stage, which makes for unrest and • discontent. We want population, schools, I and country children growing up with ! country tastes, if we are going to better r country life in this community. In short, i our needs are just the needs of the Doi minion as a whole—more population, more \ progressive methods, more enlightened 1 ideas, and. shall I say. a more sympaf thetic understanding of those we are i brought in daily contact with. - ORGANISE fHE FARMERS. B — • A LETTER FROM SOUTHLAND. 3 "Overseer" sends the following letter f from Lochiel, in Southland:— • I.—As fur as my knowledge goes, the local schools confine their efforts to the

"throa R's." The tcacher? are certainly not competent to give much valuable instruction to intending farmers. 2.—Farmers are almost entirely at the mercy of the fluctuations in tho markets, and incidentally of the agent governing such fluctuations. It is difficult to say yes or no. 3.—1 think the railways and roads are satisfactory (in Awarua). Tho recent floods, however, have no doubt hampered the operations of the local County Council. 4.—The postal and telephone services are, I think, satisfactory on the whole. One oannot expect too much in this respect. s.—Only a small minority of farmers profit as they should from the agricultural shows. 'Most of them, however, derivo a certain amount of benefit annually, at least they pick up a certain amount of useful knowledge. 6.—1 cannot say that tho farmers have on the whole benefited much from tho Department of Agriculture. Probably tho fault lies as much with the farmers as tho Department. 7.—No organisation whatever. B.—Rents m this locality range from 10s. to 20s. por acre. A good dairyman can make a fair living at the present high prices of dairy produce. 9.—Farm lal>our has been extremely scarco for at least five years. A certain amount of casual labour is offering ]iist at present, but skilled labour, i.e., ploughmen, ditchers, fencers, etc., is 6till very scarce indeed. 10.—The farm labourer has. as a rule, a comfortable hut, and is well fed. His lifo is perhaps a little quiet on tho whole, and hf may have a difficulty in getting reading matter. Unfortunately, the town lifo seems to appeal to them, and majned men have a difficulty in getting cottages ill the country. I think the idea of workers' homos in small townships is a splendid one. I am- suro it would pay a. good manv farmers to build cottagre and have married men, and <lo away as much as possible with the humiliating advertisement, "no cncumbraace. jj—Organise tho farmers. A most dimcult task, which may be made lighter by tho abhorrence the fanners have of labour unionism.