Farmers Tired Of Labour Problem

Northern Advocate, 24 March 1937, Page 12

Farmers Tired Of Labour Problem

• r Per Press Association. Copyright 1 DUNEDIN, Tills Day. If opinions expressed by several ; pastoralists and farmers today on the Government wages subsidy plan can be regarded as representative, there will be little support for the Minister of Labour’s proposal. No one interviewed seems to be impressed by the offer, and, in more than one instance, it was suggested that only a few small dairy farmers would be interested. Impossible Conditions. A Central Otago settler said he would not be prepared to take on a boy, even with a subsidy, under the conditions laid down. It was impossible for a farmer to decide at the end of one week whether a youth was worth training or not. Town bred boys took longer than a week to get their country legs and he thought it was fair to neither farmer nor boy to expect a decision in so short a time. If a farmer decided after one week that he would give the boy a trial, he would lose all the subsidy if he did not keep him for four months. Most boys would need a month to become accustomed to the work, but there was | no incentive to farmers to persevere j with them for such a period. Tired To Death Of Problem. 1 j Another farmer said he had decided j i to rely on mechanical farming and his 1 l own family, so that he was not likely jto be interested in the scheme. He j was of the opinion that the majority 1 jof farmers were tired to death of the - 1 j farm labour problem. It was three 1 years old now and most of them were £ endeavouring to do without labour wherever possible. j° What might be regarded as a typical \ . T i view was given by a South Otago man. r He said the only boy who was worth ' training, and who could be expected to go through with it. was the young fortunate who is likely at some time - to have sufficient backing to get on the 1 land for himself. Without it, they ' might as well be handed over to the 1 Public Works Department. v