DAIRY PRODUCERS’ WAGES

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2185, 5 October 1920, Page 2

DAIRY PRODUCERS’ WAGES

“Silver Steele,” writing on the übovo subject in the Auckland Hitaid,' and criticising the statenumT that the dairy farmer works 12 hours a day for 234 days a year, says: What does he do in ■such at lengthy period? The milking of 25 to 30 cows should not take more than one hour. The present-day farmer must use modern methods. Any business that does, not, goes through the bankruptcy court. If we allow one hour for feeding pigs, calves, etc., the milking takes up two hours morning avid two hours evening. This leaves a balance of eight hours on week' days, and a balance for Sundays of four hours. In what way is this balance of time spent ? I surmise that one hour for chopping wood, one hour for dinner, one hour for gardening, one hour admiring the view, and four hours general farm work, will lit the case of many. A noticeable thing about clearance sales is the lull attendance by the locals. Some buy, but the majority don’t. These very .frequent gatherings are good for the farmers, but what about the 3(15 days’ work? It is not my intention to belittle the farmer. When he works conscientiously his work is like others—hard. What 1 do say is that the farmer does work for himself which, perhaps absent-minded-ly, he debits to his farm. “Labour” has but little time to chop wood and grow vegetables, He buys these, as

a mil I ter of course, out of his wages. Take “Labour’s” unproductive lime: —Time of rising, 5.45 a.m.; dressing, breakfast, etc., by (5.30 a.m.; walk to station by 7 aim.; travel to town, 8 a.m.; return (evening), li p.m,; walk home, G. 30 p.m. Total time taken, 12 hours 45 minutes. So far, “Labour” has not made any demand to lie paid for the unproductive hours. If they should, it would be vigorously denied. “Kcvcnons a nos moutous.” The amount, Gd for lUtilb. of skim milk, appears low, such milk should contain from Gib. to 151 b. of solids. It could make a cheese worth Ids. The (54,80011). of skim milk would make cheese worth £2OO. The profit through pigs, however, would be much less. Another point overlooked by farmers is house rent. This omission is serious. Man has to live somewhere, and the cost is ■ usually deducted from his earnings, not his capital. Example: A farmer buys a farm for £3,000. He expects a return on thisat C per cent. That: is £IBO. Now the general buildings .on a farm are worth, approximately,- £I,OOO. Therefore his outlay of capital is only £2,000, and only this should be debited at G per cent., viz., £l2O. A- -• gain, much of the farmers’ labour

is not directly available.' As the farm improves in utility, so it does in value. Would any farmer who has worked in the manner claimed' soli his farm, plus his out-of-pocket expenses, for what he gave for it 1 Arguments whether a farmer earns what he is worth —no one else does —Just blind the issues. Most agree ■that butter is worth the 2s Gd. But the vital points are: (1) Export tax. (2) 2s Gd per 'lb.; and (3) strikes; then (4) farmers lighting the strikes; (5) the Government commandeering (be butler.