FOUR-MAN BOARD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 10 March 1943, Page 2

FOUR-MAN BOARD

CANADIAN PRODUCTION PLAN FARM LABOUR POLICY n ANNOUNCED Ottawa, Mar. 5. Canada’s 1943 food production programme will be directed by a four man board under the chairmanship of Dr. G. S. H. Barton, Deputy Director of the Marketing Service and chairman of the Agricultural Supplies Board and the Special Products Board; R. F. Hamer, Director of the Production Service, and Dr. J. F. Booth. Associate Director of the Marketing Service. The new board will confer with the Wartime Prices Board concerning price adjustment and subsidies necessary to maintain or increase production of farm Products within established price ceilings.

The announcement of the board’s appointment follows a statement made in the Canadian House of Commons by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. Mitchell, on the national farm labour policy. Briefly the policy calls for:— 1. The stabilising of employment in agriculture by keeping essential labour on farms:

2. Expansion and development of the Dominion-Provincial farm labour agreements;

3. Arrangements to ensure that farmers and farm workers engaged on logging. lumbering, and other seasonal work will return to the farms in time for .spring;

4. The tapping of existing pools of manpower, namely: (a) The Labour Department to explore the possible uses of prisoners of war on farms and to assume responsibility for this activity; (b) Further employment of Japanese in Canada; (c) Treaty Indians from Reserves to be used on farms; (d) Other sources of potential farm labour to be explored, including recruitment of women for driving farm equipment, the use of civilian internees, the use of men discharged from the armed forces and various others. -ST-'^T

5. Industries which can do so without impairing the war effort will be required to release men and women suitable for farm work. This may mean that during the rush seasons some industries may temporarily be closed. 6. Authority provided under the Nation 3 1 Selective Service Regulations will be used to direct to agriculture unmarried men called for military service but found to be unfit and who, in the opinion of the National Selective Service officer, are-Tsuitable for farm work. These men will be directed to productive farms whei'e labour is needed. A further feature of the farm labour policy is that Local Agricultural Committees will be asked: (a) To encourage within their local area the best use of existing manpower through efficient planning and management of farm operations with farmers working together and where practical the sharing of labour and the co-operative use of farm machinery, (b) To determine the seasonal and full-time labour requirements of each community, (c) To encourage the transfer of labour from low to high productive farms, (dl To assist the provincial fieldmen and employment officers in recruiting farmers and farm workers who can be spared from agriculture during the slack season, (e) To supply information when requested to do so regarding the essentiality or otherwise of farm workers whose cases are under consideration by Mobilisation Boards. Each province will be requested to explore the movement of workers on low productive farms and develop detailed plans suitable for local necessities.