HARVEST LABOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16010, 31 August 1915, Page 6

HARVEST LABOUR

The Prime Minister is to be congratulated on the excellent arrange-

merits now being made to ensure to farmers an ample, supply of harvesting labour.* The organisation set up with the assistance of the Board of Agriculture, the Labour ? Department, the Public. Works , Department, and the Agricultural. Societies is in. every way complete.' Local agricultural societies are to ascertain district wants | the Labour, Department has the ■ responsibility of finding all available and suitable men; whenever a shortage occurs men are to be. 1 temporarily released from public works and drafted to farm, work. It. is not to be expected that the places 'of all the farm workers now serving with the Expeditionary Force can be filled with skilled workers, but the.farmers. are satisfied that no great difficulty need be expected from this, so long as the unskilled are enabled to work beside a number of- experienced men. The release of men from public works may cause dissatisfaction in somo districts, owing to the check that may thus be given to the progress of roads and railways, but this should only be temporary. and the purpose of the transference of labour is so essential to our' agricultural industry that no valid objection can .be urged against it. The' organisation is so complete that there is little possibility of farmers being handicapped through shortage 'of labour unless they themselves fail to make known their wants or ito offer reasonable inducements. v