OUR MUCH ABUSED FARMERS.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2276, 23 August 1870, Page 2

OUR MUCH ABUSED FARMERS.

To the Editor of the Evening Star• Sir,— ln the issue of your contemporary of this morning, there is a letter bearing on the question of immigration and the unemployed, which I think should not be allowed to pass unnoticed. The writer, who designates himself “ One of the much abused Farmers,” asserts that the excessive rate of wages hitherto paid to farm servants is the cause of a great many of the failures of the farmers in Otago. Now it was only lately that I had a conversation with a practical farmer on the subject, when he asserted that the true cause of non success amongst our farmers was that one-half of them know nothing about farming. It is all very well to talk of getting all the latest improvements in machinery, &c., and then syj.ieu thejshoe pinches, throwing the burden on tile fanp servant. Farming is like every - tqiug else—a correct knowledge of it can only be gained by years of practical, experience, and it is only those who are thorough practical farmers who are likely to be successful. There is one important point in reference to farming here, which I would bring niiider the writer’s notice, and that is, if the farmers have to pay more for labor than in England, they have not the exorbitant rents to meet, which their brethren in Britain have to contend against, and the only reason why the latter are able to make a fair competence is that farming is conducted at home on certain principles without wjncfi all the farming in the world will never pay. 'As for tyyfng to make Victoria a criterion for this place' in spate of l

wages, is simply absurd- In the first place the farm servant has hot the hardships to endure in Australia which he would have to encounter in Otago, and, secondly, the rate of living is at least one-third cheaper in Victoria than here. It is all very well quoting the leading journals of Australia in what they say in reference to the inducements held out to working men in the colonies. Because they happen to coincide with the writer’s views is no reason why their statements should be correct. Let him only pay a visit to Victoria, and he will soon be able to satisfy himself on that score, Victoria, like some of her sister colonies, is overdone, not only for the farm servant, but for all laboring classes. I believe that at the present moment, America is the only field that offers any inducement to the emigrant and farmers may talk here as they like about the high rate of wages, but they will not get men to come all the way from the old county to work for about the same rate as they got at Home. It seems to be a sore point with the writer that some of the unemployed have been able to save some money out of their earnings in the good times as if they bad been getting less they would not have been able to have a “ tidy sum ” at their bankers at 4 per cent., and would thus have been at the mercy of the farmers to take whatever wages they like to offer them. I must say I cannot sympathise with our “ much abused farmer ” on this head, as I am afraid he is only sorry because he cannot get more than 8 or 10 per cent, for his money, instead of 15 and 20 per cent, as formerly. In reference to the assertion that carpenters and bricklayers get from 12s to 20s a day, 1 do not know where he got his information from. If he bad quoted that as the ruling price some six or seven years ago I could understand him, but at present he will find the rate of wages for the above class not more than from 10s to 12s per day, and this is not taking into account the fact of the majority of them being employed only about six months in the year. Otago is now undergoing a commercial crisis, which all places of any importance encounter at one time or other, but to suppose that the introduction of cheap labor will bring about a better state of (things is a dream. If a better state of matters is to be hoped for, it will only be realised when trade generally is carried-out on a more substantial footing than it has been for some months past in this Province. I remain, &c., Cms. Dunedin, August 17, 1870.