THE FARMER'S WIFE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 76, 16 April 1937, Page 6

THE FARMER'S WIFE

Outline of Typicai Day's Work 4.40 A.M. TO 9 P.M. In the eourse of its report on the underlying causes of the decrease in the birthrate in New Zealand, the committee of inquiry headed by Dr. D. G. McMillan, M.P., submitted that the principal cause was econemic and . domestic hardship, which could be divided into three headings: Poverty, housing and domestic. Dealing with the last-named phase, the committee states: Lack of help in the home even by those who can afford it is a factor^of very great importance to the limitation of families. This applies especially to coutry' life, where' a woman's ; whole physical energy is taken up by attention to domestic matters and .often al«o the farm-work, to the detriment of family life. The following is an account given to one witness by a farmer's wife, describing an average day'a work: "Eise 4.40; have cup of tea; wife to shed, set machinets, hubby to bring cows. Start milking 5 a.m., hard going to 8 o'clock; wife returns to house to get breakfast, also see to children and cut lunches for them to take to school. Hubby feeds calves, fowls, and ducks, then breakfast. Load milk on express, harness horse, away to factory mile away, get whey return. "Now .9 o'clock, wife has machines down and washes, hubby hosc« down shed. Drive whey down to paddocks and feed 40 pigs, returns, unharness horse, waish cart down, yoke team to plough, disc, etc. "Wife, to start housework about 10 o'clock, dinner at 12.30 to be ready, or taken down to paddocks (if harvesting three or four men are working). "Usual times fencing, repairVng sheds, fixing yards, besides other farm duties till 3.30; afternoon tea; children given something to eat on returhing from school. "Husband and wife to sheds again 4 till. 7. Hubby washes machines, ^feeds calves, etc., wife in meanfime has returned, to house, washed children and put to bed before sitting down to her tea at 8 o'clock, jby time washed up is & o 'clock — too tired to do anything but crawl into bed."