TOWN & COUNTRY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 147, 23 June 1915, Page 8

TOWN & COUNTRY

FARMERS AND LABOUR A DIFFICULT PROBLEM PROSPERITY IN THE COUNTRY (From Our Special Reporter.) PALMERSTON N., This Day. An interesting subject, "Farmers and the Labour Problem,'" was comprehensively dealt with at the National Dairy Conference at Palmerston North to-day, in a paper prepared by Mr. W. D. Hunt, manager for Messrs. Wright, Stephenson, and Co., Invercargill, and read by Mr. Harkness. Mr. Hunt said he believed the point was generally admittedj by almost every farmer who employed labour, that the question of how best to meet the labour requirements of farmers was now a problem requiring the attention of those interested. He had had to meet it already himself as the head of a company doing business with farmers, and being continually asked to employ labour for them. For some years thequestion had steadily been becoming more pressing, and it must be solved if the agricultural and pastoral interests of the Dominion were to progress as they should. A proper balance between town and country populations was not being maintained. With the breaking up of large station holdings the last twentyfive years had been a period of great prosperity for country dwellers, while, also, conditions of life in the country had improved. Roads were better, railway communication had improved, and, besides all this, the advent, first of the bicycle (which twenty-five years ago was practically unknown in the country), and then the motor car and motor-cycle, had mada an enormous difference to country dwellers. LURE OF THE TOWNS. With all this and the spread of settlement and improving conditions one ' would expect to see an increasing tendency among the people towards country pursuits,' but the movement was entirely the other way. t At the census of 1891, out of every hundred people living in the Dominion 57 resided in the country and 43 in the towns. At the census of- 1911 the proportions were in the country! and 50£' in the towns. If a census. were taken .again to-day it would almost certainly be found that the proportions would, not be less than 51 in the towns to not more than 49 in the country. Since 1891 we had, added 291,836 people to our town population, and only 182,092 to the country. In other words, to get back to the 1891 proportion, we had to move no less than 88,047 people out of the towns, and place them in the country. WHAT IS THE REASON? What was the reason of this state of affairs? Was it that in spite of the prosperity in the country the towns were more prosperous still? Mr. Hunt did not think so. The average country dweller was more prosperous than the average town dweller. Among the farmers there was an ever unsatisfied demand for male and female labour; many farmers had had to change their methods of farming because they could not get the necessary labour. In the towns thero was an over-supply of unskilled and casual labour, and it was the intermittent nature of employment that was often a plea by Labour leaders' for higher wages awards. Often, when there was unemployment in the cities the country districts were starving for labour. It was necessary in the interests of the Dominion that a remedy be found.. Children were being brought up in the towns. "They are brought up with a knowledge of the pleasures of the town, without any knowledge of the pleasures of the country. When their turn comes to seek employment they will, prefer to get it in the surroundings to ' which they have been accustomed in their youth." They would find when they come to get into the country that in all country matters the country-bred person seemed to understand^ as if by instinct, things they knew nothing of, and that in such matr tars they had to take second place with country-bred people. They <did not like this, and returned to the surroundings to which they had been _ accustomed, eveii though it meant casual employment, MARRIED EMPLOYEES. ' " I am quite satisfied that the cause of the whole trouble," said Mr. Hunt, " is the entire absence of accommodation .for married employees on the great majority of our farms. There is a demand on farms for married couples, where the husband will work on the farm and the wife, cook, but most often this demand is coupled with a condition . that there must not be any enj cumbrances, i.e., there must be no children. . . What I mean by accommodation for married employees is, cottages in which married employees can live and where the wife has nothing to do but attend to her house and children. The result of this want of accommodation is that the average single farm employee, if -he wishes to get married, cannot see \ much prospect of doing so if he remains a farm employee. . . This man and hie wife and family are thus lost to the country and become permanently added to. the ranks of town dwellers. Probably they would have preferred to have remained in' the country, but their only chance of doing this under present conditions would be to put off their marriage until the man had earned sufficient money to acquire a bit of land and start farming in a small .way on his own account. If an early marriage is desired the drift to the towns is necessary in order to get accommodation." Mr. Hunt went on to say that a good three-roomed cottage could be erected for £200 to £250, and a four-roomed for, say, £300. The money could easily be arranged for. It would not all be additional outlay because the farmer at present had to accommodate, his single employees. Including a fair rent for the cottage, the cost to the fanner of the married employee would not be greater than that of a single employee. Mr. Hunt proceeded to supply illustrations from experiences of what he had stated. Fanners who had tried the experiment of erecting cottages had found the experiment pay them very well indeed, and were continuing and extending the scheme. A continual supply of labour was assured all the year round. Having married employees enabled the farmer's wife, often very much overworked, to obtain assistance and relief, and the children of the employees were brought up in rural surroundings, and grew to love the country. The hature of their environment also gave them a superior physical and more vigorous' mental equipment. It was said that amongst the financial men of Wallstreet, New York, 75 per cent, were country-bred boys. The experience of the company with which he was connected was that, the country-bred boys went further than the average citybred boys, and that a larger proportion rose to responsible positions. They seemed to have the qualities necessary "to get there." Some people said the Government should assist, but Mr. Hunt rather thought the farmers could supply the remedy themselves. The Government had the question of town labourers and their aesommodsUoD y<st tg f»s* »dV , a.u*UslY,