“CHILD SLAVERY.”

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 9026, 13 December 1907, Page 4

“CHILD SLAVERY.”

The following xatber cutting letter appears in the Poverty Bay Herald Sir, —I have' had a copy of your issue of November 7th posted to me. in which is contained the report of an interview with Mr J. P. Murphy, who is said to be the licensee of the Tolaga Bay Hotel, and in which he in air as statements on the question ot child slavery in Taranaki. Yon apparently have taken Mr Murphy seriously, hut I really think lw was what is commonly known as pulling your reporter’s leg. It seems a wonder to me that the apparent absurdities in his statement did not put you on your guard against Sowing publicity to such a tissue ct incorrect statements. I may state that I Was editor of the Opunake Times for a period of • ten years, covering the time we had the honour , and pleasure of Mr Murphy’s presence amongst us as a settler, and j know the district and its people and their circumstances almost as well as Mr Murphy does or did. I may also state that I am secretary of tae Oaonui Co-operative Dairy Company Ltd., which last year handled close on twelve million pounds of milk; also, I am secretary of the Piliama Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd. , which last year handled fifteen million pounds of milk; also, I am chairman of directors of the Opi nake Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., which last year handled eleven million pounds of milk; and, I run a dairy farm of 323 acres, and am milking thereon 73 cows. In acldi tion to these qualifications, I have the pleasure of being personally acouaiuted with Mr J. P. Murphy. I merely mention these facts to show that I look on myslef as in a position to criticise remarks made on tho subject, either by the Chief Justice or even Mr J. P. Murphy. Mr Murphy throws down a challenge ot £SO to any one who will prove that what he says is not correct. Now, Mr Editor, that is not in accordance with British usage or fair play. A challenge should not ho to prove a negative, unless there is a direct and definite charge laid, and this Mr Murphy lias not done. Howevre. it lie has £SO lie does not know what to do with, if ho is prepared to put it up on tho following grounds, he will get it covered without any delay whatever, viz., (1). He says he milked when in a billet at 15s per week 40 cows night and morning. I am satisfied lie never did it, and was never able to do it, and if lie will

undertake to prove that he was ever asked or expected to do it, and cares to put up £SO, he can have it covered; (2) he states that he aud his wife milked 3(5 cows each for two years; that lie had a herd of 70 cows, which it took him twelve years to select, aud which gave him a return of £9 each; he can have £SO staked that this is not true ; (3) also £SO will he staked that ho never saw any tiny girls working at milking with petticoats up to their knees aud slush nearly up to their hips; that he cannot give the names of three men in this district who, during his residence hero, were milking on shares on as low a percentage as 35 per cent; that his statement that 50 per cent of the milk supplied is worked on the share sytom is not true ; that lie cauuot give the name of the man who, with his wife aud family, milked a herd of 400 cows. If Mr Murphy is not prepared to stake his money on any of these specific grounds, thou you will be able to place a fair value on the rest of his statements, which I regret to say do not appeal to the seme of accuracy as understood by his late fellow settlers in the Opuuako district, in Taranaki. lam afraid that Mr Murphy did not realise the force of statements when they appear in cold, relentless typo in a newspaper. Take the last statement referred to by me: “A man aud his wife and family milked a herd of 400 cows.” See what this would mean. Assume that the cows only average the lowest Mr Murphy puts cows at (£7 10s), that man aud his family would take £3OOO a year for milk alone; then there would be say, 300 calves at lo.s, £235; aud a very reasonable amount to allow for pigs would he £l5O, bringing the income of that one family up to £3375. If Mr Murphy had only stuck on another 100 cows or so, the man would not change places with the Governor of New Zealand. Or even if any one would calculate Mr Murhpy’s own case, 70 cows at £9 each, £030; say, calves £4O, pigs £4O; £7lO, a very nice annual income to be earned by a man aud bis wife without other assistance, as stated by Mr Murphy. I am quite sure that there is no man and his wile here now who, if they were doing the same, would leave it even for'the joys of Tolaga Bay.— I am, etc., M. J. BRENNAN. Opuuake, November 36th. 1907.