LABOUR FOR FARMS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 198, 22 August 1942, Page 7

LABOUR FOR FARMS

APPEALS FROM SERVICE

DRIVERS' UNION'S VIEWS

In a letter to the Star, Mr. L. G. Matthews, secretary of the Auckland Koad Transport and Motor and Horse Drivers' and their Assistants' Industrial Union of Workers, states that his attention has been directed to the recent Press reports setting out appeals made by farmers and other interested persons for the release from military service of essential farm workers. "No person in New Zealand will deny the importance of maintaining il P er cent production," said Mr. Matthews, "not only on farms, but in all avenues where goods are prouuced, but this cannot be achieved if we are to allow farmers to employ labour on their farms, thereby freeing the farmer to obtain employment elsewhere. Fortunately, such practices are not common and will be discouraged by this union immediately they are disaovered "At a recent conference held by this union of all country branch representatives, it was reported that two farmers, having employed milkers on their farms, had obtained positions as transport drivers It was explained that one of these positions obtained by the farmer became vacant owing" to the driver entering the armed forces. The opinion was expressed, and rightly so, by the conference, that farmer's capable of undertaking the work on' their own farms, should not be allowed to indulge in practices such as these.

believe however, that the regulations which restrict essential workers and prevent them from changing their employment without nrst making application to the manpower officer can. with considerable success, be applied to farmers in the same manner.

This union recognises that every possible care must be taken when dealing with all such appeals," concluded Mr. Matthews, "and with the object of assisting the appeal boards we have intimated that we are readv and willing to give evidence regarding the bona-fides of the employers' appeals." J