ORCHARD WORKERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 17 December 1936, Page 4

ORCHARD WORKERS

(To The Editor) Sir.—l will be gratefull if you will kindly allow me a little space in reply to the numerous letters under the above heading, .hirst, I am an orchard owner of over 20 years, so I feel fully competent to voice my opinion on the subfeet. Now, Sir, I consider that all the writers on this much discussed problem have absolutely missed the point of view of the owners, namely, that this is not an industrial question but purely an economic one and I am sure I would be very safe in saying that most of us (owners) would gladly be willing to pay £1 per day to our workers if we were getting the equivalent for our goods; but' unfortunately, Sir, as you know, any who care to go through’ and examine our hooks, that this is far from the position. On the contrary a number of growers have been compelled to abandon their orchards, others have reduced their staffs to a minimum while some have done away with help altogether and are simply carrying on hoping for better times. Re the flash cars and good homesteads, those certainly have not been, procured from orchard’returns, and I venture to say Sir. that most of the latter are mortgaged to the. full, this being necessary to meet the orchard costs, ho I think orchard workers would he well advised to remain as such as they certainly receive an assured wage and what is more valuable, still have no worry. 1 tU " ORCHARD OWNER. Tasman, 15th December.