“NO SHORTAGE OF FARM LABOUR,” SAYS MINISTER

Northern Advocate, 19 August 1936, Page 8

“NO SHORTAGE OF FARM LABOUR,” SAYS MINISTER

[Per Press Association. — Copyright.'] WELLINGTON, This Day.

Dui'ing the discussion in the House of Representatives last night on the Department of Labour vote, Mr W. J. Poison (Opposition—Stratford) said there still seemed to be some provision for immigration.

He said if they could get suitable chiefly from the Mother Country, and fit them into industrial and rural occupations, it would be a very desirable thing to do, but a progressive plan was needed for the development of the country, which would enable them to assimilate a number of suitable people.

The Hon. H. T. Armstrong (Minister of Labour), referring to the apparent increase in the vote, said the recent labour legislation, particularly the Fair Rents Bill, had thrown a tremendous amount of work on the Labour Department. It was anticipated that the Farm Labourers’ Bill would provide some more. Over £200,000 of the vote was transferred from the administration of unemployment. Actually, the vote was within a thousand or two of the cost of running the two departments.

The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Opposition —Kaipara) asked whether land that had been brought into use by unemployed labour could be successfully occupied afterwards, in view of the present labour costs.

Mr W.*P. Endean (Opposition —Parnell) said that unless the Government was very careful there would b,e a lack of discipline among employees, and they would find, instead of the Government controlling New Zealand, that the employees would be controlling the Government.

The Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister of Railways, said the difficulty today was to find employment for the unskilled worker, but he predicted that when the Minister of Labour had completed the scheme upon which he was working, that the difficulty would be largely overcome. He said that factories were working to the utmost capacity, and, in some cases, there was a shortage of skilled labour.

Mr C. A. Wilkinson (Independent—Egmont) maintained that the reason .factories were so busy was ‘that the people were stocking up, in view of increased costs.

Mr H. G. Dickie (Opposition— Patea) said thousands of men were wanted on farms, despite that fact there was a large number of men on sustenance.. A man with seven children, on sustenance, was given £2 17/ a week, and he would be given £3 a week on a farm. He asked if any man could be expected to go to farm work under those conditions.

Mr Poison said there were numberless young people all over the country, who were being put out of work, because of increased costs. Many small employers were unable to carry on. Mr Armstrong said the victims of unemployment were better housed, better fed and better clothed than they had ever been. The men on relief were classified, and 2000 men a month were being placed in permanent positions. If the farmer wanted a particular class of worker, he had only to make application, and, if he paid a decent wage, he would get labour.

Hundreds of men were being supplied for farm labour. He could not see that there was any shortage of farm labour. Progress was reported.