THE CHILD AND THE COW.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9549, 22 July 1909, Page 3

THE CHILD AND THE COW.

Some months ago we gave a summary of reports received by the New South Wales Teachers' Association on child labour in country districts. Thts conditions revealed therein were so astonishing that, according to the "Sydney Daily Telegraph," the public were glad to receive the suggested explanation that teaches had taken isolated exmples as typical. The question has been re-opened by the reports of the school inspectors, which will be regai-ded by most people as confirming the previous statements. According to most uf these officials, the rabbit and cow levy a heavy toll on young energy. One inspector learned from a group of five boys that their daily routine was to use early, make a round of the rabbit' traps, collect and clean the rabbits caught return for breakfast, wait with the rabbits for the carrier's cart, go to schod at ten, after school walk home and set traps, go home to tea, and pay more visits to the traps until nine o'clock Most of the parents are not in such needy circumstances as to warrant this child labour. It is stated that half the children (soti) in the Lismore district, whose ages range from 8 to 15, work regularly in the milking yard, or among the pigs, both before and after school. The average numbe- of cows milked daily by each child is 15, while many milk from 20 to 24. The most striking evidence of the evils of the system is afforded by the composition of a lad of thirteen on "How 1 Spent the Kind's Birthday." He says:—"You ask me to tell tiow I spent King's Birthday. Well, my father called me to get the cows in at 4 a.m. I goth up and drove them in. They were at the far end of the paddock. 1 milked nine. Then I pumped water for the cows, and gave them some fe°d, while my brother got the horses ready to deliver the milk round the town. We drove in and delivered the milk, and got home at half-past seven. I cut the feed for the cows, and pumped some more "'ater, then had breakfast. After breakfast I turned the separator, and then helped to feed the pigs and calves. We pumpled more water for the cows, and gave them more feed. Then it was dinner-time, after which we cut some lucerne, and then got tha cows in to milk. Then we delivered the milk round the town, and came home and fed the cows, fed the pigs and calvse, separated, pumped the troughs full for the night, and gave the cows a good feed of lucerne. Then I had tea, and went to bed. That's all." Some of the inspectors think the statements previously made exaggerated, but it is difficult to get over the testimony of their colleagues.