CONCERN OF SHAREMILKERS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5316, 22 August 1928, Page 2

CONCERN OF SHAREMILKERS.

(To the Editor.) ’ Sir, —Exception was taken at a meeting of the SharemUkeris’ Association held' last Saturday to remarks made by Mr Beck at the 'Hauraki Da’ry Company’s auiiuajl meeting with ferer.ence to sharemilkers which were published ill your issue of August. 17. Mr Beck said, according to your report, “That .the pi*oble.m"(refetr.rjng to milk of inferior quality) was bqund up with tiie employment of sharemilkers, whose only concern was tos obtain; the greatest bulk?’ The only consolation is that a man who makes sweeping allegations like tha,t immediately stamps the assertion as thoughtless, as it suggests the impossibility of any other class of employee or owner to err in like manner. There are good sharemilkere anjd .also bad ones, though amongst the sharemilkers I have met the laj-ge majority do credit to the /in.dustry, and their experience in dairy farming is second to none ; and I am sure that a good sharemilker, under a fair and equitable agreement is an asset to. the Domin.ion as well as the 'owner. There are many in the the truest sense of the word, socially and fojn efficiency, who rank with their employer, and for a, man to infer that the- burden of inferior milk supply was due to sharemilkers without any qualification was an unjust and misleading statement to make. The sharemilkers of .this Dominion as a whole have entered into the spirit of co-operation with owners., knowing that interests are mutual, that both are looking for maximum production, anjd that production without quality caji o,nly be transitory. Hence, tentative and short agreements. should be avoided 1 by both parties. Insecure tenure of either owner o.r .sharemilker leads to carelessness, and may bring about that which Mr. Beck complains. If Mr Beck will take the trouble to find ou.t how ma.ny sharemilkers .support her.dtesting wholly or partially her will find in tiia.t alone a sincere wish fo,r efficiency.

A. J. G. SCHMIDT.