MEN WANTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 6

MEN WANTED.

FARM EMPLOYMENT.

RELIEF JOBS PREFERRED?

DIFFERENCE OVER "WAGES,

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, December 19

Now that the harvest season is upon us, the farmers and settlers are as usual crying out that they cannot get workers on any terms, and that their operation* are seriously hampered by the shortage of labour. More particularly from the Albury district and the Riverina reports have 'been received to the effect that large numbers of relief workers have declined to accept regular work at the wages offered by the farmers, but prefer to stick to their casual and intermittent job with whatever collateral advantages it affords. When these statements were brought under the notice of the Minister ot Labour, he took immediate steps to counteract any such tendency. He announced that relief work might be discontinued at any time, if the district police were informed that there was a demand there for regular workers; that relief work dockets must not be issued to any person refusing to accept employment'in regular industry; that instructions had been given to all country police issuing officers that persons refusing to accept other employment at award rates or at the rates current in the district, or voluntarily leaving any employment) would be ineligible for relief work and its benefits. A number of rather exacting restrictions were announced, and Mr. Dunmngham certainly succeeded in producing the impression that he is very much ,m earnest, that he will "stand no nonsense " and that "if a man will not work neitlik, shall he eat" at the public there are other sides of the question well worthy of consideration. At a meeting of primary producers held last week at Casino a motion was submitted • drawing the attention of the Minister to' "the difficulty of securing suitable labour, owing to the relief work and family endowment being more remunerative than can profitably belaid by fanners to secure their labour. '.', Some Farmers to Blame. A <*reat deal depends on the interpretation of that useful word profitably " and some of the settlers present frankly admitted that in some case* the fault lay with the employers themselves One man said that he knew farmers who worked their hands from dawn to dark, and "did not know there was a Sunday in the week." Another told an instructive story, which _he asserted was quite true, about a hired man" who came home late from a dance and met his employer, who was starting out with a lantern in his hand to rouse up the men, and congratulated the returned wanderer on being the only one that had not to be driven to work. As to rates of wages, Mr. Baddeley, the Laugite member for Cessnock. when the question was raised in Parliament assured .members that there were farmers offering as low as 10/, or even 5/ a week, coupled with the threat that emergency relief would lie cut off if the offer "were rejected. On the other hand, itshas ibeen reported from Albury that farmers in that district have offered 10/, and even 12/ a day and keep, to secure hands, and that labour is .still unobtainable. This may sound almost incredible, but it Li substantiated by a statement made publicly at Albury last week by a man who professed to speak for SO married men classed as unemployed, to the effect that "there is no likelihood of- the men accepting farm work at les.s than 12/ a day, with keep, for a minimum of 14 .days,? for the reason that "they cannot live on anything less, and even at that figure some would lose nioney compared with the return from relief work." If that is true, then clearly the whole system of relief work needs careful investigation, but Mr. Dunning* ham -may be trusted to do justice in this\ matter, without fear or favour.