THE DAIRY FARMER.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1920, Page 8

THE DAIRY FARMER.

[ HIS RETURN FROM LABOR* COMPARED WITH OTHER CLASSES Mr. Frank Colbeck, of Morrinsville, institutes an interesting comparison between the wages of coal miners, carpenters, and general luborers, and the return that the dairy farmer receives when his labor is translated into pounds shillings and pence. He puts the case as follows: — "As it appears to be the general opinion that the farmer is going to make a fortune at the expense of the rest of the community, I beg to submit the following figures showing the wages a farmer will earn at 2s Vsd per lb. butterfat, and the wages a miner, a carpenter, and a general laborer would earn if they worked the same hours as a dairy farmer. A daiiy farmer works 12 hours a day for nine months in the year, and eight hours a day for the other three months. The average milker cannot milk more than 15 cows night and morning. Supposing that each cow gives 1801b- of bnter-.fat (the average for New Zealand is MHilb.), he would earn 2s Gd, plus ISO, plus 15, equal to £337 ,10s; plus 64,8001b. of skim milk at fid per 1001b., equal to £164 4s: total, £353 14s. If a miner worked the same hours he would earn at 30s (%d per shift (average at Pukemiro coal mine): — £ s. d. 234 days of 12 tours at 80s GViil—--39 Sundays of R hours 536 0 1>,4 38 Sundays of 8 Hours 59 11 I'/S (79 days of 8 hours 120 19 9 13 Sundays of 4 hours 9 18 3 365 days Total £726' 2 3 If a carpenter worked the same hours as a dairy fanner he would earn at 2s 6d per hour, plus allowance for overtime, as under: £ s a 234 days of .12 hours—' Ist 8 hours at 2s 6d 1 0 0 2 hours' overtime at rate and Quarter (3s H4d) 0 6 3 2 do., at rate and half (3s 9d) • 0 7 3 Total for 1 day .. £1 13 9 £ s. o. 234 days as shown above at £1 13s M 394 17 6 39 Sundays. at double rates :.. 78 0 0 92 days at £1 92 0 0 365 day 3 Total £654 17 6 If the general laborer worked the same hours at 12s 6d a day with usual overtime lie would earn:— £ s. d. 231 days of S hours at 12s 6d .. 146 5 0 Do. Ist 2 hours' overtime at \ rate and quarter 45 14 0 2nd do., rate and half 54 16 10 3!) Sundays at double rates .... 48 15 0 92 days of 8 hours 57 10 0 3(15 days Total £353 0 10 These figures deal with labor only, and show that at union rates the dairy farmer only gets general laborers' wages without any return for capital invested in land, stock and plant. I am sending you these figures to refute the statement, which I see repeated again and again by people who know little or nothing about the subject, that it is the high cost of land that is causing the high cost of producing butter. I say emphatically that the dairy farmer is the lowest paid worker in the Dominion. The highest price we have received for but-ter-fat so far is Is 7id per lb, and my comparison is worked out at 2s 6d.