LABOUR OFFERED TO FARMERS

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23812, 4 December 1942, Page 2

LABOUR OFFERED TO FARMERS

“ DISAPPOINTING RESPONSE ”

MINISTER ISSUES WARNING (P.A.) WELLINGTON, December 2. ‘‘The response by farmers to the scheme for using schoolboys, students, and teachers to assist in seasonal work on farms during the summer vacation so far has been disappointing,” said the Minister of Industrial Manpower (the Hon. A. McLagan),

‘‘Some time ago we made arrangements for senior schoolboys, students, and teachers to be available to farms to assist in seasonal work, the boys and students being available until the end of February and the teachers during January. This scheme was jointly arranged through the Department of National Service, Education, and Agriculture, and local primary production councils and committees were given the responsibility of getting in touch with all farmers in their district and arranging for the use of labour thus available. The councils were to inform manpower officers or youth centre secretaries of farms where assistance would be needed, but so far very few requests for such assistance have been notified to them.

“All requests for assistance were to have been in hand before the end of last month so that arrangements could be completed before the schools close. We can give farmers and councils only another week at the most to make their requirements known. “At the same time,” continued the Minister, "we are receiving requests for the release of men from the Army for seasonal work on farms, I want to make it quite clear to farmers and to primary production councils that arrangements for holiday assistance during December, January, and February have been made expressly to fill gaps occasioned by the withdrawal of men into the armed forces and to minimise the disturbance of the Army organisation through temporary releases. We are not going to view with very much sympathy requests for the release of men from the Army, if, having made alternative labour available, we find it is not being used, "It is the duty of the farmer to use labour made available to him in preference to disturbing the Army, and he should understand clearly that if he docs not take the opportunity still open to him of securing holiday labour for classes of work which can be performed by senior boys and students, he should not expect to obtain labour for such classes of work by releases from the Army. "Boys,' students, and teachers are available in very considerable numbers, but if their assistance is to be obtained, application must be made with the utmost urgency. Next week is the last week in which applications can be dealt with by manpower officers and youth centres.”

MINISTER’S STATEMENT CRITICISED

VIEWS OF FARMERS’ UNION SECRETARY

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, December 3. “If the Minister had consulted farmers’ organisations about the scheme, adequate publicity would have been arranged and considerable assistance given," said Mr A. P. O’Shea, Dominion secretary of the Farmers' Union, commenting on Mr McLagan’s statement' “It is also to be regretted that Mr McLagan did not consult people with knowledge of the farming industry before making his statement. Such statements contribute nothing towards solving a very complex and difficult problem. Discussions with farmers' representatives would have established that the uses to which completely unskilled labour can be put on farms today are considerably restricted, Farmers' organisations would have readily given all the assistance in their power, for last year schoolboys particularly gave considerable help to farmers.”