CITY LABOUR FOR THE FARM.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2758, 29 April 1916, Page 6

CITY LABOUR FOR THE FARM.

Sir,—ln your paper of Saturday, April 22, there appeared a letter signed "M.M'M.," in which he has a lot to say about farm labourers' treatment and their sleeping accommodation. Now, sir, I think it would'do some of the City creatures who are masquerading in tho shape of labouring men a deal of good if they had to put in a few winters sleeping on a few sticks covered with fern and cook their own meals, drink their tea out of a billy lid, bake their own bread, wash iheir own linen, arid carry all the necessaries of life on their backs four or. five miles up to their knees in mud, and do it on Sundays, which I have had to do to help open up the country to make it productive, so as to increase the general output of New Zealand, and enable this poor, hard-done-by citizen to sleep iu linen, have his civilised meals, go to all the gaiety tho large towns provide for these so-called workers. And now since ho has not enough of tho man in him toleave the fair sex alone, a,.word qii their behalf. From the tone of his letter, I should imagine that on the farm where he managed to work and gain his experience, ■ tho farmer's wife failed to fuss, around him and make/a favourite of him, so he rushes into print and eases his hurt feelings by running down tho sex in goneral. Ho says to farmers' wives that it is the men who really do the work which realises the wealth which enables them to live in luxurious comfort. I'm afraid his knowledge of the real farmer's wife is very limited, for one thing she is genorallv up before daylight preparing breakfast for the likes of "M.M'M.," who perhaps when the bell goes an hour or so later grudgingly, tumbles out of bed to go for the meal with an ill-used feeljug at having to go to work at 8 a.m., tho usual city oftico hour. Ho says some women never tire of shouting out to us of the great things woman <tro doing during the war time. Ho must be very narrow-minded if ho can't rea-1 lise that they are. Take our nursoß,

carnival queens and their assistants, tha city ladies who cater for the soldiers when they come- into town, the farmers' wives who meet together and sew and make the hundred and one little things a soldier needs, and who pack thousands of the same things and send them to the city to go forth on their errand of mercy, and who canvass the country, collecting for the different funds, so that our soldiers will have all they require. But ,\:1 this won't interest' "M. M' 31.," as he is not ono of tlw last-mentioned. Why, may I ask, if i( isn't too pertinent a question? Pew haps he is afraid lie won't have a nice place to put his blankets. One thing is sure, ho would not have any bed linen, and perhaps not thoso civilised meals so dear to his heart. It isn't the men with spirits such as his who will win the day. He is too busy storing up something nasty for thoso pale, frigid-faced, cold-blooded creatures (it is tii be hoped his mother is pioud of him) who are only too anxious to relievo him of his job, so that ho may go and take the place of those who have already, fallen lighting for King and country, and who would bo only too willing to work on farms if it would help the cause ia any way, and 'they would put uj with more hardships than the ones coaii plained of by "M. M'M."— l am, etc., ' ANOTHER FARMER.