THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 49, 27 February 1934, Page 8

THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE

If the whole purpose ,o£ the movement to place boys on farms were to find temporary employment, for the lads the question of conditions would not bo vitally important. -.But the movement goes further than this. It seeks to direct the attention'of ,city youth to the opportunities in the country, and thus to help in redressing the balance of urban, and rural population. This is necessary, for lower returns from primary products mean that a greater proportion of people must be employed in direct primary industry. . The Boys' Employment Committee has adopted a well-advised course in preparing a moderate and carefully-worded statement. This will serve to remove the prejudice held by many city parents and boys, and it will inform ihe good farmers of.the.difficulties which are hindering recruitment of young farmworkers. There are two ways in which this report may be followed

up: (1) By inspection of the farms to which boys are sent; (2) by inexpensive provision of a system of preliminary training. Farmers should not resent the-inspection suggestion. City employers, who have the boys only in working hours, are subject to all kinds of restrictions as .well as supervision. • The inspection,, preferably- arranged voluntarily by j-epre-sentative farmer's, ;would be invaluable in assuring'parents of the welfare pf their boys. -The preliminary training, following the Penro'sb plan, would lessen the dissatisfaction which may be caused to farmers by their haying to deal with' boys who are quite new to country life and prove unsuited for .it. The: problem is worth the attention the.committee has given it. In so far as-success attends the effort to place boy_s on farms the employment problem is solved for those boys more permanently than if they merely, filled .temporary/, blindalley jobs in towns. -.'-.';