COTTAGES FOR FARM HANDS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1788, 28 June 1913, Page 14

COTTAGES FOR FARM HANDS.

WHY LABOUR IS SCARCE. Mr. G. L. Marshall, chairman of tli Marton branch of ths Farmers' Union puts the building of cottages for farn hands as ths most pressing »ee<l of tJi day. He says:— 1. Schools satisfactory; but more couli be _■ taught the pupils about the mail principles of successful treatment of land providing the master has the knowledge. . 2. Returns from'sale of products satis factory 'in ijiost cases, but frequently tin produce passes through too many middle men. Somo way of bringing the produce] and consumer into closer touch is tin thing chiefly wanted. 3 and 4. Itailway, road, post, and tele phone services satisfactory. ;<> 5. Shows ars of benefit, 'especially sinci the establishment of the Marton A. ant :P. show., '• '"'C. Yes, the Department of Agricultun does good work here. Co-operative expert me.nts with farmers. and tue experiment farm at Marton Junction are doing ex iceJlent work, and tend to a better level ol ■ fanning. • 7. Organisation satisfactory. 8. Wherever a knowledge of farming ant industry is shown, tenters of farms art making a satisfactory living. : • 9. Supply of farm labour only fnirlj satisfactory. Good labour is hard to ge'l when most wanted—in the summer during shearing and harvest. 10. So' far as I know the conditions oi farm labour are satisfactory. 11. Probably the building of more cot tages on farms for the accommodation oi married farm hands, with a small aret of land attached to each cottage—sufficienl perhaps to grazo a cow, keep fowls, an(i grow vegetables. Probably why mor< men do not take work on farms, wher< they can always save more money thai: in town, is because they are too far from places of amusement in which to spent! their evenings. I don't know, of any ivaj of malting country life more attractive ir that A'rection. . '

worse.