SUPPLY OF LABOUR

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1939, Page 13

SUPPLY OF LABOUR

FARMERS’ UNION CRITICISED WESTPORT, October 27. A charge that the New Zealand Farmers’ Union and its branches had failed to accept an invitation to confer with the Employment Division of the Labour Department on the provision of farm labour was made to-day by the Minister for Labour (Mr. Webb). Answering a statement made in Rotorua that his claim that ample labour was available was “eyewash,” Mr. Webb said that he was most emphatic in stating that every endeavour had been made to co-operate with farmers so that their needs could be met. “Farmers’ unions have not conferred with Labour Department officials in the manner we expected,” he said. “When I took over the portfolio of Labour 12 months ago, f immediately made representations to the New Zealand Farmers’ Union that it should advise its branches to confer with placement officers in each district, so that the amount of labour available could be ascertained and the department could be given an indication of the labour farmers would require, both for general farm work and harvesting.” Although the former Minister for Labour (Mr. Armstrong) 1 had established a camp in the Waikato for supplying harvesters to farmers in different localities, many of the men had been unable to get harvesting work, Mr. Webb said. Perhaps one of the reasons had been theiwet season. Instructions had also befen given by Mr. Webb that the men employed on scheme No. 13 were to accept harvesting work w’ en it was offered, the men being guar:., teed their positions back when the s -ason was over. “Yet in the middle of last harvesting season the department had a long list of men waiting to get work. So I think that the wants of the farmers have been well met,” said the Minister. Where accommodation was good, little trouble had been found in providing a plentiful supply of physically fit but inexperienced labour, subsidised at £1 a week, but even the Farmers’ Union admitted that in many cases the accommodation was of such a nature and living conditions so backward that it would be difficult to persuade anyone to live and work under them.

Many of the farmers’ own sons and daughters were, in fact, working in the cities while their parents were complaining about not getting labour to work their farms, said the Minister. While appreciating the difficulties of farmers, he wanted to say, once more and emphatically, that if they cooperated with the Government in a true spirit of co-operation, labour would be provided to enable them to carry out their farming operations to the maximum. It had also to be made clear that farm workers were employed only seasonally, and, naturally, I hey lookod to other avenues where employment was more permanent. Most young men had a desire to settle down in life and to have security of employ ; ment throughout the year. On the farm that work was not available. The department had planned work in the off season, and at the moment every able-bodied man employed on seasonal work who was prepared to go into the country to developmental work had a job waiting for him at full standard rates of pay. Such a plan had not been made before in New Zealand.