ESSENTIAL FARM LABOUR

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23740, 11 September 1942, Page 4

ESSENTIAL FARM LABOUR

“NO CONSIDERATION BY ARMY” PRODUCTION PROBLEM A special meeting Of the HawardenWaikari Wheat Promotion Committee was held last evening to discuss the difficulties of production with the present depleted manpower. The chairman (Mr J. W. Earl) said that as a result of the committee’s canvass of the district, the wheat acreage had been increased by 60 per cent. That was a splendid response, he said, and had been obtained on. the promise from the production authorities that men would be made available for handling the crop. The position was* now, however, that the release of essential men could not be obtained So far, a large number from the district had entered the forces, and recently urgent appeals for the release of several essential men, including header harvester workers, had received no consideration whatever. The committee had acted in good faith in canvassing for more production and was! now being definitely let down by the! authorities. There were barely enough men in the district for last season's work, and many of those who had been available un to now were leaving. It was impossible to increase production without more men. Many experienced tractor and header harvester men were included in the overseas age group and these were now lost to production I Work would have tu be done with the | best men available. * Several speakers questioned whether! the best use was being made of tile 1 country’s manpower, and pointed, to I the retention of the 40-hour week in certain industries as an instance. Ini the final analysis it was a question of] the relative importance of production] and the fighting forces. | The following resolution was passed! unanimously, on the motion of Mr Earl, seconded by Mr A. J. Blakely, to be forwarded to the Hon. W. J. Poison, Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes:— "That the Hawarden-Waikari Wheat Promotion Committee desires to bring to your urgent notice that it will be impossible to maintain, let alone increase, iroduction, if the present policy of retaining in the Army all essential farm labour is continued. The greatly increased production in this area was obtained on your assurance that the necessary labour would be made available to harvest, handle, and prepare land for the following season’s programme. Under the present'system we could give no guarantee that the acreage required next year would be forthcoming. We also consider that a Dominion wide reclassification of manpower and working hours is urgently needed.”