FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 317, 7 January 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

A lot has been published in the daily press during the last few months concerning the employment of children on farms. And most of the time it has assailed the dairymen, charging them with being little better than slavedrivers. To anybody who knew, those reports were nothing but gross exaggerations, written by men who did 'not understand. Unfortunately, they were served up to a city people, and what can the city know of the country'; Those reports would hardly tend lo remedy the defect. But it is pleasant to note that our Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Perry) has a, word to say in defence of the libelled dairyman. Speaking at Berry, he said that as former -Minister for Education he took a keen interest in the welfare of the younger generation, hut lie could not regard the statements which had been published in reference to child labor as other than ridiculous. Dairying had been practically condemned as a slavedriving industry, but, speaking from ex perieuce, he could say that the children as a general thing were none the worse ) for having to do milking. He had done ' it, and it lnul not hurt him. Work i would not hurt anybody. If some of the young fellows had had more work and' less pUv thev and the country would be all the better for it. If they were going to bring up a race of youngsters who were taught that it was wrong to work, there was going to be a decadence in the nation. If the children had lo turn out early and milk cows, where was the harm? He had no sympathy whatever with those who were constantly carping on this subject. There were doubtless instances where persons did overwork their children, but the whole industry could not be condemned on that account.—Stock and Station Journal, Sydney,