SHORTAGE OF LABOUR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25084, 16 January 1947, Page 5

SHORTAGE OF LABOUR

CONFERENCE SUGGESTED BY FARMERS

A suggestion that a conference should be called among manufacturers. the Christchurch City Council, and farmers, so that plans might be discussed for overcoming the present shortage of labour in the province was advanced by several speakers at a meeting of the North Canterbury executive of Federated Farmers yesterday. It was contended that schemes for industrial expansion in Canterbury would be fruitless if the present system of competition for an inadequate labour supply was continued. Some suggestions tor improving the living standards of rural workers who felt attracted towards th? city life were made by Mr L. C. Gardiner. “We feel very concerned about the shortage of labour that is now affecting the whole of New Zealand,” said Mr Gardiner. “Some step has got to be taken to improve the situation, or we will have to face a serious decline in food production. My own personal feeling is that the main cause of the labour shortage is the 40-hour week. It just will not work as it is to-day. In the country we have many men and women working for their love if the life; but thev could do better for themselves if they went to the towns for work. We have no hone in the country of competing with the standard of living of the cities, and if we want to attract more workers we must devise some way of improving conditions so that they can be held in jobs m the country.

“This is a job that this executive can handle: but I have some suggestions to offer.” the speaker said. “We have many excellent farm workers. Would it be possible to make available to them some small portions of land, depending on the quality of the land we are farmins, so that they would have an immediate personal interest in the work they were doing? Perhaps the Government would get behind them and erect modern homes on these lands so that farm workers could be provided with good amenities. “The onlv other solution I can see to this nroblem of labour suoply is for large-scale immigration to be encouraged. As shinping is so scarce there does not seem to be any immediate nnss’bilitv of this being attemnted. “The situation is .desnerate because now we are just getting the crons out of our farms and we know quite well that our land is deteriorating fast todav for lack. of sufficient labour to maintain its qualities.” concluded Mr GardinerC