BOYS FOR FARMS

Evening Star, Issue 20778, 28 April 1931, Page 11

BOYS FOR FARMS

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE COMMITTEE ACTIVE REPRESENTATIONS TO FARMERS’ UNION The suggestion that farmers should help to oaso the position for boys leaving school by taking on town lads to work on their farms, tho Government to pay the wages to tho amount of 10s a week for the first year, was made by the, members of a deputation which w'aited this morning upon tho Otago Provincial Council of tho New Zealand Farmers’ Union. Tho deputation,- representing the Vocational Guidance Committee, comprised Messrs J. L. Sahnond, J. R. Fairbairn, and W. G. Baird.

Mr Fairbairn stated that, in the opinion of the committee, and no doubt in the opinion of many others, unemployment was very closely associated with the difficulty experienced in placing boys leaving school. High school forms and senior classes were at. present overloaded. Business people wore being continually besieged by. parents who asked them to find work for their boys, and all the advice they could give was that the parents should send the lads back to school until work was found for them. Tho committee was rather fearful as to what another year might bring forth, for tho position was going to be desperate fer the young people. Tho committee recognised the difficulties facing fanners, but they wished to point out that tho conditions ruling in the country were exactly smilar to those the business men in town wore experiencing to-day. After making careful inquiries they found that there was little prospect of tho secondary industries absorbing the boys out of work at the present time. Even if prices increased they could not say that there was much hope of absorbing them all. It had been said that many country boys left the country and came to the towns. Probably most of them made good in town, and it was good for the towns that this exodus should take place. The suggestion the deputation wished to present was that they should start by sending fifty or 100 boys out on to farms and ask the Government to pay them 10s a week for the .first year, the .farmers, of course, to “ find ” them and teach them rural work. Even if some of them did not make good farmers they might become good farm labourers. The Farmers’ Union could supervise the sclicnio and soo to it that the

boys and the farmers both got a soaure deal. He suggested that the council should appoint a committee to go into the matter with the Vocational Guidance Committee. ' Representing the Technical School, Mr Baird said that for three years running they had been forced to turn bovs back into technical education. This applied to the carpentry trade, and he understood that it was tho same with engineering. There were about 600 boys waiting for work, and he was sure that many of them would be willing to work on farms _ The Chairman (Mr J. D. Revie) sa,d that the union fully sympathised with the work being done by the Vocational Guidance Committee, and it realised that a humanitarian effort was being made. If the union could give any assistance it would be only too pleased to do s 6, A difficulty was that townships in the rural districts also had the same trouble in placing their boys, wlio in most cases were the sons or working people However; it was realised that something would have to be done to alleviate the whole position, and perhaps a committee could be set up from the executive to go into the subject. It could be composed of farmers who lived close to the city. Various aspects of the problem wero discussed by members of the executive, and after the deputation had withdrawn it was resolved that a committee be set up to co-operate with the Vocational Guidance Committee.