BOYS FOR FARM WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21130, 12 March 1932, Page 15

BOYS FOR FARM WORK.

SAFEGUARDS STIPULATED. DISCUSSION AT' MATAMATA. [FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] MATAMATA, Friday. Tlic contention that the requirements amounted to introducing unionism to farm labour was made by Mr. D. B. Higgins, president of the Matamata branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, in opposing regulations laid down by the Matamata Unemployment Committee in its efforts to induce city boys to take up farm work. The Matamata committee has been in touch with the principals of the Auckland Grammar School and Technical College, who have seconded these efforts in a painstaking manner. As a consequence the committee guaranteed to take a fatherly interest in the boys after they were placed on farms. To safeguard the boys they stipulated that definite wages must be given, a year's employment guaranteed provided there were 110 exceptional circumstances, reasonable tiino allowed for recreatiou and satisfactory conditions in regard to food and lodging. Mr. Higgins objected to the proposed conditions, holding that farmers owing to the economic conditions were not in a position to be bound by such terms and that the committee had to get down to practical facts. It was wrong, he held, to " spoonfeed " the boys, and instead they should take their chance. More of tlip old pioneering spirit was needed.

Mr. W. M. Griffiths objected that it was wrong to attempt to improve the farmers' economic conditions by allowing procedure which would tend toward bad conditions. The Matamat a committee would bo responsible to city parents for the boys' welfare. Farm life would not be made attractive to city folk by allowing bad conditions. Mr. G. G. Bell said there was nothing objectionable in the conditions and the committees could not judge whether every fanner should have a boy or not. The idea, was to safeguard the boys against the few and to see that growing boys had good food and reasonable time off for recreation. The committee had received applications from nine or ten farmers already. A letter from the Futuro Farmers' Committee, Auckland, offering to assist in providing boys was then read, and on the motion of Messrs. Bell and Griffiths it was decided to reply giving a summary of what had been done to date and asking for suggestions.