The Dominion THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1945. “THE TIME HAS COME”
“The time has come,” states a letter from the New Zealand Dairy Board to the Acting-Prime Minister, “for the Government to decide whether it wants more dairy production or more men for the armed forces.” The statement follows the holding of ward conteiences throughout the North Island and reflects the opinions of the directors of th! dairy companies, Those in direct touch with the industry, and therefore best qualified to judge, hold that the Minister s state ment that the over-all position next year, as far as labour on dairy farms and in the dairy factories is concerned, would be no worse than that which existed this year, “fails entirely to take mto account the actual conditions that exist on a great many dairy farms The board, in its letter, gave the grounds for its contention. They are not new, but they carry added emphasis. The letter stated:
The plain facts are that during the war years a great.many dairy farms have been kept operating by men-who had let their sons go overseas, and who, with the help of their wives, have battled on During the present season numerous instances have occurred where these older men, through ill-health, have simp y had to give up, and each year the position in this respect gets a litt e more serious.
That is the position which has to be met if production is to be maintamed, although the urgent need is that it should be increased, and it applies to other branches of primary production with equal force. Ihe Meat Board recently stated its views in a letter to membei s of the Ministry. It expressed the conviction that' the present uncertainty with respect to farm labour was having a very serious effect on the prospects of meat production in the future. , The Dairy Board was more explicit when it stated that the present call-up for military service would “in the opinion of practical men who are in a position to know, definitely result in decreased production. Both boards stated that they found it difficult to understand the Government’s policy in this matter. At the end of last season many dairyfarmers had decided to carry on because of the undertaking given that men would be taker! out of the forces for the purpose of asstuing increased production, and now these men are being withdrawn from the farms. The Meat Board summed up the position in these words:
To the board and the meat producers it does not seem to make sense that, at this stage of the war, men who have been retained right up to the present because of their essentiality, should now be withdrawn from farms when the need for food is greater than ever.
There is, of course, only one test to be applied—the priority of the needs of the Allies. With its limited resources m the form of manpower the Dominion desires to do what is most essential, and the Dairy Board has urged the Government to “obtain from the British Government a pronouncement on its priority needs as. to food production and armed forces from the Dominion.” 1 hat is the course which people generally want to see taken, for it would give a direction to the country’s effort and provide a strong incentive to greater effort still through the knowledge that New Zealand will be discharging what those in authority overseas deem to be its most valuable sei vice, today’s cable news states that in Great Britain the already meagre rations are to be further reduced so that, in more ways than one, the time has come” for determining what this country is to do. The dominant desire of the people is apparent. It is to bend every effort to supp y foodstuffs to the people of the Mother Country. 1 hat would directly aid the Allied cause.
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 202, 24 May 1945, Page 6
Word Count
652The Dominion THURSDAY, MAY 24, 1945. “THE TIME HAS COME” Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 202, 24 May 1945, Page 6
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