MEN FOR FARMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3197, 22 September 1917, Page 10

MEN FOR FARMS

DANGER OF DEPLETION

LAST MAN FROM A FARM

Alarm has been frequently expressed by country members in the House of J-!e----prcsentnlivca during this session as to tho depletion of farms of all the meu required to work them. Mr. Anstey asked the Minister of Defence yesterday whether (lie Government had come to a decision ou the question which he would shortly state as "leaving tho last man on every farm." There were a large number of fanners in the Second Division, and a large proportion of these farmers were tho last men left on their farm*. If these meu were taken either the farms would have to go out of productivity cr there would hove to be undertaken a somewhat elaborate and costly scheme for keeping the farms going , . Sir Jamee Alien said that tho policy ot tho Government, indicated some time ago, was that no farm should bo left without one man, or. if necessary more than one, to keep it as productive as before the vir. But the determination of indiridvn ..see must be loft to the Military Sen. .■_■ Boards. They were the people who could best say how many men should be left on any individual farm. But tho policy of the Government, understood very well by the Military Service Boards, was that no farm must be left without n man. Mr. Lee: Wasn't there a. magistrate in the south who 'Said lie would not be governed by it? Sir James Allen: "That is incorrect. The chairman of that board has been communicated with, and he replies that it is quite incorrect. The Minister added that it was contemplated .that because of the number of fanners in the Second Division, who would have to be exempted, a larger number of men would have to be drawn in the- ballots for the different drafts.