MINISTER FOR LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 224, 15 June 1908, Page 6

MINISTER FOR LANDS.

. —rfr- ■ v - • : WORKERS SCARCE. [ • PROBLEM OF CASUAL LABOUR IN > . THE . TOWNS. ;J. (B Y '"TELEQBAPH.—SPECIAL' pOHRESPONDENT). . t ' ■ Chrlstchurch',"June 13. " Farm labourers . are requijfM'; in every part of;|New Zealand," said for Lands .to a,"Lyttelton Times "Irbpoi'teri'yes-. Canterbury cannot soditte the labour; it needs for work 6n the and! from oueiJ end' of the Dominion: to jother the men on the land are asking]; for.'labour and offering good wages, but theynlcannot be supplied.;. A few: jaen- the itovrns,-are calling itliemselvos 'lunehipibyed.' iliut it is a., matter .of choice with The work and the wages are ready." The farmers were not asking nfor skilled labour, said the Jlinister. i, Tlidyj wanted able-bodied men who .jvere willingfito work, and the wage? offered for sucli: men-pvero as high as 275. 6d, a week, with'food, and lodgings found. .That-'was equal to'atifleast' £2 lOs.t'p y?eek, jn. the. towns,, aiid; jflbieover, the man in the country, was not) required to spend on clothing and in other directions nearly as much as was the maif iii tlio town. " promotion amongst- the fi'rm'.'lkliourers is .more rapid than in any other': ©fade of service in New Zealand," said the Minister; " that .'is one,of,the 'causes, of'! the' Hrouble. A good man passes very? quickly frota the. ranks; .of the farm labourer to tl'e small farmer, and- from there the )51r5spects are iunlimiteoS ■ The proportion' ; 6f' employed who.have risen'to tho ranks of th'e'eijiploytfrs in the; farming ..industry ;• is ''-efiormously greater .than in a'uy other industry Ja Now Zealand.., ■ . : / ' . '• '.

; "The';shortage of labour'in the'lSuritry is likely- to be more severe in the'futurs even than '.it is'at present, because" hrlj»c'-areas of land; will;be opened in l the North Jsland and ..will riot"only demand ! a .'great 1 deal ojr farm labour,h'ui.'will lift many pVeserit.farm labourers" to the : ranks, of thefnrnlilrs or .employers.'i l.il ' ■ . • " The, rfeniedy - for: the -existing difficulty certainly lies l in inducing some of-,the casual labour at-S present found in. the and towns. : tb get out.intothecountry* and live there. , The Government Mabour. bureau and tho otW. libbur; agencies trj\ to the' heeds of.-.tW farmers, but; thb tasjc' becbmes very difficult'wfaori the men who could do tho work ai;e ,m'.'tli6lcentres. ■'■/• 111 !"' ■ " There .cannot be the least doubt .that tlio labourers aad'the community generaljy would benefit enormously if we could?.persuade, more men ..tir'stettlo down- ih jthe .cd&ntry townships.v'lSWhak we want to do suade a parb'of"our present casual; labour to gqt out.irite'tlie country.". . .....

DAIRY; REGULATmN'S.r'q: j THE " SWE^VWILL " -OF INSPECTORS. ■- I ' -.0 ' (BY CORRESPONDENT.) - i . Christohurch, JvVfife;l3.' Speaking interviewers with regard td\the' of at Auckland, at. Messrs.. 'MaSsoy Mid Lang : dairy ■ I'egul'atiiiis,'' Mr. M'Nab; MinistWfbr"' Lands', .said.,that bo thought Mr; ha,3 probably t<jf erred to the old regulation* oil''the improvement of which a good'.dealVofr fought alid caTfe'.had been", expendiid .'^'iluririg 0 ' ; i tho, months. -The neV>\regulatious wereTio\l r almost completed. criticisms concerned the old proved by the fact that tho new.Vefeilfttions had riot yet boen issued.' nor Mr.-. Lang, nor any member of Parliament in New Zealand, had' .sfe\i tlife' ,} regulatimis, nor know, what'was in'tl^ni. Mr. Lang, could' ho said that so nnicjk;j\*as; ; lef£ to tho ,; '-Weet will" of the oritt'tif the things that had beeiivjfedttccii tp. a minimum, and against the 'tlieSinspoctor they would alwayKbb ablo toPitjiprfal. The experience had guided the formati6n\A>jFfr"iiew'! ones ii %hich' .could bo tentative .fcr,ihy*first'twelvc ii'V.nths of operation'. So harassing, the' farmer, tho I,S stop; those who were >hose carrying on of the trade was at tlcl cost'of bthfers.' "" •; 4 -.