LAND SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 37, 8 November 1943, Page 6

LAND SERVICE

Appeal to Women and To Farmers The Women’s Band Service had TOGO active members, said the Minister of Agriculture. Mr. B'. Roberts, in an address last night in which he urged women to enlist for work on the laud and farmers to employ more women. The employment of female labour on the land was, in the main, the solution of the farm 'labour problem, he said, and the importance of New Zealand keeping up its production had been brought home to people by the introduction of butter rationing. The amount of food that was required overseas was staggering, and he knew only too well the difficulties of meeting New Zealand’s supply commitments. New Zealand must supply butter, cheese, and meat to Britain and the Allied forces in the Pacific, and must be in a position to feed the starving millions of Europe. The Allied forces in flic Pacific alone could and would take New Zealand's output, hut. New Zealand must send produce to England and provide for it« own people. In England there was a land army of 60,000 girls from shops and factories, who were doing wonderful work in a country whose existence was made safer by the production of every ounce of food. Before the war she produced only 30 per cent, of her food, but by December. 1942, she was producing 63 per cent., and without female assistance that could not have been done. In New Zealand consideration was first given in 1940 to the ’ formation of a women’s land army to replace men who had left fanning to go into the forces, but a survey showed there was little if any demand for it because of the relief that was being given by retired farmers returning to work, and by women already on farms and men on farms working harder. When Japan entered the war the position changed rapidly, more men being called up and more food being required lor the forces in the Pacific. It was then the Women’s Band Service was formed, and its personnel had been a credit to New Zealand. He had met a number of land girls and ’hey were models of healthy, vigorous womanhood. The land service was one of the highest priority jobs in the country, said Mr. Roberts, appealir™ to employers to release women who wished to enrol in it. Girls were plnced only on farnis approved by primary production councils, and the councils had taken their tasks in this direction seriously. Appealing to farmers to make use ot women's services, the Minister said that there was reluctance in some districts to employ girls, probably based on prejudice hut it was found that when a few girls were placed in employment in a district applications for girls noticeably increased in that district. Farmers should consider whether by employing women they could not increase their production or carry out maintenance work. He pointed out. that the Government paid the .employers of the girls a subsidy wiii.e thev were learning their wor...