LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2367, 25 January 1915, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

FARM HANDS V/ANTED. Gir, —Your issue, . 21st inßt., contains a particularly spirited and _ convincing letter under the above heading, anw in passing permit me to congratulate your correspondent "Agricola" upon the able manner with which he reviews the industrial position in its regard to employees generally. That the calling of agricultural labourer is one of the most dispiriting and monotonous drudgeries a man oan follow up is with few exceptions only too evident. As "AKricola" has it, "daylight to dark and often longer than this" are the hours required of him, milking cows, feeding calves, pigs, ploughing, etc, etc., may be surrounded by a halo of romance when viewed from the balcony of a city dwelling, or even from the level of "an ashphalted footpath, but when brought into close and active contact with these operations as conducted on the average mortgage-ridden, illroaded rural selection one finds that the diaplionous radiance is but imaginary and the motive invariably becomes one of getting enough cash to get away from these attractions as soon as possible. Under the ruling conditions mental recreation or improvement is practically impossible, and the whole trend of such an existence must be towards the reverse of broad-minded, self-re-liance and initiative- And here it becomes a ' question of national import-, ance resolving itself into this: Are we to continue producing butter, cheese, mutton, etc., and strive to still furtiler increase our output (and incidentally) the local market price,' of these produots. irrespective of the conditions under which the producers ■ have to exist? Does the whole question of national prosperity pivot upon pounds, shillings, and penco, or does it (and I am sufficiently old-fashioned to sometimes think it 'does) rest determinate upon well-cared-for —but not too-well-cared-for —men, women, and children That the lot of the farm-labourer lends itself to considerable improvement" is unquestionable, that the lot of too many of our small farmers, their wives, and children engaged in wearing themselves out in their ceaseless, strenuous, mort-gage-lifting efforts, is equally so, can do taken for granted, but from a truly, patriotic motive, I am asking, Sir, ifm order to prove our commercial superiority, that important section of our community, viz., farm workers, is to bo donied decent food, reasonable hours, fitting accommodation and means of recreation and amusement?—l am, etc., ZERO.