CALL-UP OF TERRITORIALS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 24 October 1941, Page 2

CALL-UP OF TERRITORIALS

j 1 EFFECT ON HARVEST FEARED J Christchurch, Oct., 22. < The effect 01. the harvest of the call- • t ing up of all Territorials for an addi- j J tional two months early in the New l 1 Year was discussed by the North Can-' terbury district executive of the Far- 1 < mers’ Union to-day. Members express- : - ed the gravest concern about the fate i of the harvest if men were taken at i the intended time, and spoke of crops < being left to rot or to be destroyed by ■ j nor’-westers. i After a long discussion, in which it ] was emphasised that the problem was : ; national, though the farmers affected ■ were chiefly in Canterbury, it was de- < cided to seek relief through the Domin- . ion president of the union, Mr W. W. i Mulholland, who is a member of the i War Council. “We understand that when the three months are out those men have got to ' stay on another two months and that : ail those who have already done their j three months will have to go into train, ing for another two months,” said the chairman, Mr R. G. Bishop. “This is', going to affect the harvest very serious-, ly, and will mean that very little will be sown in the coming season. I think we should try to point out the necessity for having labour free to get the harvest in. The ranks of workers have been greatly depleted by calls for over. “We realise that these are very criti— •; cal times but we feel that the matter of supplying the country's foodstuffs is very vital. The country is cut off from overseas supplies. In other countries.; in England and I believe in Germany, too, labour is released from the army' to harvest crops. I think that if those i countries right in the war zone can do j it New Zealand can do it. The mili-j tary authorities have a plan to tarry out but they are not practical farmers. We hope there will be co-ordina-tion of military training and produc-; tion.” Tie meeting then went into committee to hear a statement by Mr G. C. Warren. “The crux of the whole matter is' that we do not want anything to happen | that would make farmers say they i cannot produce,” said Mr A. M. Car- : penter.—P.A.