FARM WORK AND RAILWAY EMPLOYMENT.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2789, 6 June 1916, Page 6

FARM WORK AND RAILWAY EMPLOYMENT.

Sir—l was greatly amused in reading a letter signed by "Jimmy," which recently appeared in your columns. Now. Sir, "Jimmy" is evidently one of the workers mentioned in'-my previous letter—belonging to the class who know not what farm work really is. Regarding the rise iu railwaymen's wages, this lias already been dealt with in a very able manner, by Captain IT.ine, in his recent speech in Parliament. and his views have undoubtedly met with universal approval throughout the Dominion (except, perhaps, by "Jimmy" and his fellow-workers with their "unbiased" minds), so it is useless for me to add further comment. One must admit to feeling overburdened with sympathy for those hard-worked railway porters "mentioned by "Jimmy," but their only hope must surely be in the fact that one day promotion will see them drift into some of these numerous small town-

6hips, where, at most, two trains daily is the order, and suck a tiling as T1 hours' work a month will probably be nearer tha mark. I must admit the farmer has nod the worry of getting his furnituro "scratched in shifting," such as "Jimmy" has, for the average farmer is not troubled jvitb much furniture to get "scratclied," and if "Jimmy" had seen as many back-block homes as I have -he would know that a table and a few chairs (in some cases only, a box) is the fanner's only, attempt at furnishing, for mnny a year, I quite agree with "Jimmy" that it is an, excellent plan to educute the child of the railway worker so thoroughly hut l»t the money expended on that education bo paid for with money saved from their anipio want's, am! not try to put a tuiv ther tax on the settler and his over-work-ed family to meet this demand.

tmight also inform "jimmy" that I was % UL il ? ,vare a railway worker, when shifted, lias all his expenses paid, aiso part board and lodgings, until he can "■•"I a sufficiently up-to-date house to please him; but as in most'instances a, slnit means <1 rise in wages, one ■i:arccly complain, even though a chair gets scratched on the journey. Hut, air, surely the most "absurd part of all-in 'Jimmy's" letter is the reference made to exploitation-(I understood wo could boast of living cheaper in our littlo Dominion than in almost any other country lit the present time), is it possible tor-any sane person to think that a few retired farmers and others, jiving on tho outskirts of our smaller towns, denotes exploitation? It is onlv those who have money, and a considerable amount of it, can buy a farm near town. The very large majority of farmers—as "Jimmy"has yet to learn—go frequently hve or' more years and never see a motor-ear or any other such luxury as mentioned by r n l' , 'Jnnmy" took sufficient'trouble to hud things out for himself, lie would doubtless find that tho farmer whom he envies so much—living within a motor ride from town—has already spent bis 20 or 30 years as a back-block slave, in conclusion, if "Jimmy" w ith his' "unbiased mind had seen as much 'slavery and hardship in the back-blocks in every Parti ol New Zealand as 1 have seen, ho would, have thought twice ere penniDg Ins letter, and thereby exposing such ignorance on the subject. I hanking you once again for space ia your valuable paper,—l am, etc ■ 'JACK.