WOMEN’S LAND ARMY

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 July 1941, Page 6

WOMEN’S LAND ARMY

FARMERS’ UNION APPROVAL. WELLINGTON, July 17. A suggestion by Mr. A. C. A. Sexton (Auckland) that steps should -be taken to form a women’s land army, was endorsed by the annual conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. Mr. Sexton added a proviso that at least one able-bodied man should be left on a farm. The conference agreed that it should be'strongly impressed on the Minister of National Service, that the calling up of men in the middle of the production season would cause disastrous disturbances. It was urged that every effort should be made by the Government to make additional farm labour available for farm work. The comment by the Minister of Agriculture on the resolution regarding the purchase of meat, passed by the conference, was the subject of a .statement made to-day by Mr. Mulholland. He said that Mr. Barclay’s defence of his action as Minister, in refusing to purchase the whole of this season's meat production, on the ground that the Government had only undertaken to purchase normal production, misrepresented the Government’s definite promise, which was not qualified by any mention of quantity. • In fact, the Government’s undertaking was given as part of the campaign on its part to induce farmers to produce more than they had ever proAnv reference to the average production of past seasons uao. efeany no bearing. The definite aim of the Government was to get increased production in excess of anything that had before been produced, and the promise made by the Prime Minister in May, 1940. was to purchase the whole of this increased production. The position was that the Government had refused to accept full delivery after the goods were produced. The conference discussed the Home Guard, and resolved that it should be brought under military control.