ESTABLISHED 1866. TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1920. THE HOUSING OF RURAL WORKERS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIV, Issue 127, 1 June 1920, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1920. THE HOUSING OF RURAL WORKERS.

A question of considerable; moment to the country in these days when an increased production is so highly, desirablej and necessary is the provision of better housing accommodation for rural workers. Never was it more desirable than to-day that the rural workers should be encouraged to remain engaged in rural ■employment and abjure ,the temptations of city life. The future of New, Zealand is bound up 'with the welfare of the farmer. The more/ the farmer prospers the greater the general prosperity of the Dominion. But the farming industry cannot he properly, con-; ducted without an adequate supply of labor; and in the payment and hous^ ing of labor pastoralists and. agricuU turists have to face an ever-strength- ■ wring; and very • legitimate desire of the \ workers,, especially -married ■ men jV/ltlV families, .to enjoy, reasonably •good conditions, not only in the way "of remuneration, but of housing. It. is useless to; deploi 'the disinblination 'oi ihen to take up lniral Work, and the difficulty of inducing tiie^ sons,of countiy workers to remain in rural employment so'- • long as the conditions 'of rural housing, yfor the ; worker 1 class^ are, 4n so many cases, lamentably out of keeping with a reasonable desire for decent and comfortable surroundings. On many.-"sta-*. tions and fai-ms -this fact has-been aecognised and housing conditions have, been substantially improved.: v^lhere remainst, tiowover, -very much to be done in the direction ;ofj attach-) iiig the iTiral workers >perna^enyy<,,to ( l country life "by'|>tie provision^ of !deV cently. <xsonifortable housing ; SFor/f^the ■nven; arid tlieir faTnilies. ThTe -day has; gohd forever wheia Vrural workers^ at one time a migratory: class, usually consisting;, of -single men who "swagged" from station to station or farm to farm in search of casual employment, were contented with being herded together in f filthy shacks, sleeping in bunks and living generally, under conditions which certainly did riot make for. either cleanliness or comfort. Migratory labor has to a UiTge extent been .replaced by permanent hands, and, partly owing to competition for labor and partly to State inspection, the accommodation for shearers and other classes of rural works has been greatly improved. .. ■-.. That much, however, remains to be done in the way, of providing better housing conditions for rural -works is proved by the report of an. interview held last' week between the Minister for Labor, Sir William Heiv ries, and a deputation representing the. New Zealand Workers' Union, in which are now incorporated the Shearers' Union and the« A. and P. Workers' Union. Into this organisation has recently been brought in the i road and railway workers on Government works throughout the Dominion, alsq the naxmillers, so that it now represents the vast majority of [ rural workers all over the countiy. The requests put forward seem to have been couched in moderate terms, and on several points the Minister j indicated his sympathy with and provisional acquiescence in the demands made. Amongst other requests was ! on© that the Shearers' Accommodation Act should be amended so rs to bring other agricultural workers within the scope of its provisions. To tills proposal there will be no I doubt some opposition, but both the pastoralist and the agriculturist will nave to face the position sensibly. Unless rural employment is 'made ,I'easonably attractive rural labor will in time become almost impossible to obtain. The Minister, so we were I amused to read, told the deputation i that "some of the squatters had been Ito him telling him they would be 1 ruined by it if it (the Shea-rersf Accommodation Act) were strictly enforced." Ifc would be interesting to know the names of these much suffering gentlemen, to have a return of the land they own, the amount of wool and meat they produce, and its value daring the war period. It «ould then be possible to see how much justification there is for this particular wail from the poor,; oppressed pnstoralisk ' Complaint was made by the deputation that the Government inspectors exhibited considerable laxity in the enforcement of the Law relating to accommodation for flaxmill workers, threshing mill hands and harvesters, the Minister promising • inquiry by the Labor Departim-at;., Another request- was for the abolit'on

of private employment offices and labor agencies, it being contended that in many eases workers were penalised by the exaction of fees and in other ways, and,that the scope of the' State Labor Bureau should be extended. On this point Sir William Herries was not so sympathetic as on others which .-had been brought up, and we agree with him that the Government would scarcely be acting justly in depriving people of employment by establishing a State monopoly in labor agency. It should not, however, be found difficult for • the State more closely to control the working of private labor agencies and to prevent the abuses which are alleged to obtain in connection,., therewith. ■

The whole question of providing better accommodation for rural workers should, in our owji opinion, receive far greater attention from the New Zealand Farmers' Union than it has done in, the past. From time to time some of the mdre progressive minded members of the Union have brought forward schemes for the provision of farm laborers' colleges, and for the establishment of special rural ■hamlet settlements, where married men could reside and cultivate small areas of land during the periods of slackness of employment by the psstoralists and agriculturists. To some of these schemes detailed reference has' been made in these columns, but so far nothing in the way of definite .and beneficial result has materialised. Something must be done to attach a good class.of worker permanently to rural life and employment, fftid it is, we think, the proper function of the> Farmers' Union to evolve and place in operation some practical workable scheme by wliich this may ho brought about. There is a good demand for rural workers of experience, and the project is frequently forward of attracting suitable immigrants from the Old Country. But those who look to Great Britain for a supply of competent rural _ workers must understand that this class of worker is now being paid a- much higher rate of wages in 1 the, Old Country than it used to obtain, and not only, this, but that the majority of farm workers in Great Britain are / provided with cottages, ofteri' accompanied by small garden holdings, "which they can put, to profitable use, and that the right class of immigrant is not to be tempted to' come to New Zealand unless ha is assured at least of/housing accommodaition equal in comfort and general convenience to that he can have in the Old Country. Various English- counties . are raising large loans to provide further housing accommodation ; for rural workers. In April four southern and eastern counties combined in the' raising of a six million loan for this purpose, and all over England and Scotland the value to the country of the rural worker is to-day being ; recognised as it never was before, v The pastoralists and agriculturists, ;of New Zealand assuredly do not j reap lower profits from their industry; titan :do the graziers and farmers of Great Britain, and what pan be done in the Old Country m the way of rendering rural em-r.-loyment; more attractive can and will have to be done here in v New Zealand.