FARM LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 124, 27 May 1936, Page 12

FARM LABOUR.

ACUTE SHORTAGE ? IMMIGRATION ADVOCATED. CONFERENCE NOT UNANIMOUS. Delegates attending the annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union (Auckland province), in a discussion extending to well over an hour, were not unanimous on the question of whether there is an acute shortage of farm labour in the Dominion at present. The discussion arose out of remits brought forward by the Southern Thames and Waikato and Kaipara subprovinces. One remit urged the Government to assist by way of reduced passages the immigration of nominated skilled farm workers, nominators to be responsible for finding positions for same. The second remit urged that a meeting of representatives of dairy companies and the Farmers' Union be convened to consider some practical scheme, Government or private, for encouraging the immigration of men and youths suitable for farm employment, or some alternative for overcoming the farm and domestic labour shortage. It was agreed by all that there was difficulty in getting suitable labour for farms, but while the majority supported the remits advocating getting men and youths from Britain, many delegates held that the shortage was due to the failure of farmers to pay a sufficiently good wage and provide those working conditions which a worker had a right to expect. One speaker said unless a farmer was prepared to pay a reasonable wage he could not expect men to leave the city to take employment on a farm only to be dismissed when the winter season arrived. During the slump period, he said, many farmers were not in a position to pay well, but conditions had altered, and if the promises made by the Labour Government were kept farmers would be able to offer pay and conditions which should be an inducement to men to accept work on farms. Both remits were carried, not without some opposition. Another remit from Kaipara Sub-Pro-vince, which urged the conference to press on the Government a scheme, formulated by the union, to induce and assist farmers to provide suitable housing for married farm workers, was carried unanimously.