ENLISTMENT OF FARMERS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23001, 22 April 1940, Page 3

ENLISTMENT OF FARMERS

GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE V MANY ALREADY KEPT BACK HON. P. C. WEBB’S STATEMENT The statement that already 1200 farmers and many skilled farm labourers had been prevented from going to the war was made by the Minister for Manpower, the Hon. P. C. Webb, replying at Lake Tekapo to a statement made at the high-country runholders’ conference that there were no reserved occupations in New Zealand, and that recruiting was denuding the high country of skilled labour. Mr Webb said the Government fully appreciated the needs of farmers, but that at a conference on recruiting held in Wellington recently, a Farmers’ Union representative had agreed that there should be no reserved occupations. Mr D. McLeod, who, on behalf of the runholders addressed Mr Webb, and also the Minister for Lands, the Hon. F. Langstone, who was present, said that a statement made by the Hon. P. C. Webb recently that there were no reserved occupations had given the conference concern. The runholders realised that the war must be prosecuted, but it appeared that Mr Webb did not understand the long training necessary to make a musterer. A man needed four years’ training at least. “How are we to get our sheep off the hills if „ou take away our musterers?” asked Mr McLeod. Mr Langstone agreed that experienced men were urgently necessary for mustering the high country. It would be dangerous to send out inexperienced men, he said. “I don’t think Mr Webb meant carte blanch when he talked of no reserved occupations,” said the Minister. Mr Webb: We have turned down 1200 farmers already, and have blocked high-country shepherds from going. Everything that New Zealand prized was threatened by the war, Mr Langstone continued. Besides, New Zealand had only one market, Great Britain. In many ways New Zealand was a very wealthy country, but in others it was very poor. New Zealand was fighting not only for Britain, but for its very existence. “Where we can conserve key men in the industry, we will do so,” he said. “You have only to let us know your requirements.” Mr Webb said that the Government was doing its utmost to co-operate with the farming industry, and already had transferred 4000 men from relief and public works for clearing, draining, and subdividing land, and even for broadcast sowing of fertilisers. Subsidies were available for farm labour, and even for teaching inexperienced labour to become useful on farms. “It is true that there is no list of reserved occupations in New Zealand,” said Mr Webb. “We found that we could not take the , English act as a guide, because it provided only two or three occupations which were not reserved. At a conference on the subject at which all interested sections of the community were represented, the Farmers’ Union representative strongly supported the abolition of reserved occupations. “We have already kept about 1200 farmers on their farms, and have blocked farm labour from going. Farmers can notify their nearest district office that a man is indispensable and should not go. Some men have enlisted and given their occupations incorrectly as something other than farming, and that is very difficult to stop, though we are trying to do so.” Mr Webb said that farmers could count on the fullest and most sympathetic consideration from his department. “We will;take men off public works immediately if necessary,” said the Minister. “We are offering liberal subsidies to various industries to get them off. Our object is to make the best use of the reservoir of unemployed labour, and everybody that wants labour can get it from us. We cannot always supply experienced farm labour, but we have had this year about 100 more experienced farm hands available than we could find employment for. We have even considered moving farm labour from one part of the country to another, but the officers of the department have advised against this We hope to have this winter 8000 to 10,000 men on farms helping to bring the land into production, and give the farmers some equity and a decent standard of living where they are scratching along now. *