OTAGO FARMERS’ UNION

Evening Star, Issue 22627, 20 April 1937, Page 13

OTAGO FARMERS’ UNION

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE LABOUR QUESTION DISCUSSED The most important business dealt with by the Otago Provincial Executive of the Now Zealand Farmers’ Union at its meeting this morning was the question of farm labour in relation to the efforts being mad© by the Government to meet farmers’, requirements. Mr R. J. E. Smith was in the chair. Mr T. White (Government placement officer at Dunedin) attended the meeting, and outlined what the department was endeavouring to do to meet the shortage of labour throughout New Zealand. The shortage had been particularly acute in regard to dairy; farming, but he considered that this was mainly due to the lack of accommodation for married men. They had a largo number of married men in Dunedin, who were fully qualified farm workers. They had lost their employment during ; the depression, and had drifted to the city. They were now anxious to return to farm work, provided there was accommodation for them. He had endeavoured to overcome this difficulty by getting farmers to alter single accommodation to suit married men, and he had met with a certain amount of success. On© aspect of the matter which was important was that married men brought their children up on the land also. He considered that No. 4 E scheme brought down by the Department of Labour was not meeting with the support that it should, and while he was quite aware that the scheme was not all that it should be,, ho wanted to know why the farmers were not supporting it. After dealing with the advantages to be derived by farmers under the scheme he strongly advised farmers desiring labour to communicate with the department, which was now able to supply competent men for all classes of work. Several objections to the scheme were mad© by members, and it seemed to be the consensus of opinion that it did not go far enough. It was stated that the farmer should not have to pay the expense of a youth for the first week to find out if he were suitable. The subsidy should also, it was stated, apply to that week and extend over four months instead of two. No farmer who valued his herd, it was argued, would allow a new arrival on the farm to handle his cows, as many youths sent to them were totally inexperienced in the work. Mr White assured the meeting that the department had an abundance of experienced farm hands waiting for employment. It was the policy of the State Placement Service to check up on all applicants for work and any man who had previous farm experience was not permitted to obtain employment on Public Works. It was argued by the meeting, however, that there was a shortage of competent farm labour in certain districts, and Mr T. Stockdill (Miller’s Flat) said that the trouble to-day was that the farmers could not afford to pay* the wages demanded. This was the case particularly where farmers required casual labour for a period of six months. It was a question of farm wages being raised to the Public Works standard. The farm labour offering to-day was not as competent as it used to be. Mr White: It is my experience that there is no competent tradesman out of work to-day. Several members reported that there were many men employed on Public Works who had previously been on farms, but when invited by Mr White to supply particulars they refused to do so. Another member asked why any worker who had worked on a farm was debarred from receiving Public Works employment. There was something wrong with a man, he said, who wanted to work a farm when he could receive £1 a day on Public Works and work to a 40-nour week. Mr White said that it appeared to him that the scheme would fail here as it had done in the North Island, and that the department realised it did not meet with the farmers’ requirements. It seemed to. him that the farmers to-day did not have the time to instruct youths in farm work, and that something would have to be done to assist the farmer to employ additional hands to do work which had been waiting to be done for a long time. There was an abundance of farm work to be done, he said, and it appeared as if the department would have to draw up some scheme to meet the position. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr White for the information which he had placed before the meeting.

VISIT TO AUCKLAND. Mr A. C. Cameron reported that the farmers’ tour to North Otago and MidCanterbury had been most successful. Unfortunately,, the number (105) was smaller than anticipated, owing to the broken weather. In view of that tour ho did not see how it was possible to make another tour to Auckland this year, particularly in view of the fact that fanners were well behind in their work. Flo thought the question should bo deferred till next year. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Cameron and his staff for the efficient manner in which they had made the arrangements for the tour. ORGANISING COMMITTEE. The chairman of the organising committee, Mr Stuart Sim, reported that since the last meeting the organiser, Mr H. W, Wilkins, had had a very busy time in connection with Colonel Closey’s meetings. In all 36 meetings had been held in Otago, with an average attendance at each meeting of 42. Great interest had been shown, and without exception the meetings had passed resolutions supporting the compensating price plan. Mr Sim was convinced that the tour would result in added interest in Farmers’ Union affairs. Generally speaking, the financial membership of the union was satisfactory, but in some districts a special effort would have to be made to increase the financial membership for the, current year. The organiser had met with certain difficulties in some districts visited. Some districts resented the attitude of “ Point Blank ” at the time of the last elections; "others were dairy districts where the bulk of the farmers held small holdings, and these were satisfied with their membership to the Milk Producers’ or Milk Retailors’ Association. Some districts considered the Farmers’ Union only catered for the small man; other districts felt that the only man catered for was the big nmholder. Mr Sim said he felt certain that all these difficulties would be overcome, and that by a policy of give-and-take the organisation would be built up to the standard desired. Ho asked that Mr Wilkins and Colonel Closey bo given an opportunity of, raising certain matters in committee. The meeting agreed to this. ■ The report was adopted.