CAMPS AND FARM WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21663, 1 December 1933, Page 15

CAMPS AND FARM WORK

Sir, —The finest action our present | Government has done is to institute camps in tho country and take the single unemployed off tho city streets. Theso camps have 80 per cont of general town employees, with little or no idea of farm work, but I know of a few of them who tried their luck at farm work and, because they did not come up to what the farmer expected of them, they got sacked. It must be admitted that the men in country camps are doing good work, which the ratepayer would never get done, and a reasonable farmer will always get a fair deal off any of these boys when approached for their services. If farmers want labour they should go to tho camps and have their pick. I am a farmer and that is what I do when I want an extra hand. Also farmers should remember that Britons never shall be slaves. Nf.w Zealandek.

Sir,— May I reply to "Canada's" letter in Wednesday's Herald. I am one of the "hard done by" farm hands at present working for £1 a week and found, while close at hand there is a camp evidently similar to 1 Canada s. He stated in his letter that he would have to break his connection to be ablo to accept farm work. But several men from the near by camp have tried their hands at farm work and have found that they were' not suitable for farm work, and have been reinstated back in the camp. Apparently "Canada's" occupation is that of a farm hand, and he states he has been offered a job, which on his own admission, he is capable of doing. He has, therefore, no longer any right to be receiving relief. If ho is not aware of this, 1 recommend him to go to tho nearest post office and ask the postmaster for the rules re relief workers. I suggest that "Canada's" real reason for not accepting the job offered him was that he would miss the £2 given gratis by the Government to enable men to return to their homes for Christmas. I am a New Zealand born, I also a farm hand and I would rather work for my tucker to help my country than accept relief work. New Zealand,

Sir,—Allow mo to place before you tho facts regarding the majority of camps on tho Hauraki Plains. The class of work on which tho men are engaged is directly beneficial to the farmers and has been undertaken in some cases only after years of agitation. Such work as cleaning, deepening and widening drains is farm work, and there is little doubt that the closing of these camps would bring instant protests from tho local farming community. Without the work at present being carried out in theso areas, many farmers would be unable to work much of their land. Yet this is called "frittering away of the country's money." Tho clarm is made that farmers cannot get men. It is a fact that of three camps within six miles -of Waitakaruru, not one is more than half full, the men having taken other work. We have all heard of the remarkable shortage of farm labour. Strange that in a large dairying district like this, one never actually comes across such cases. It is suggested men prefer relief camps to farm work. That is to say that men prefer to work eight hours a day in deep peat drains, often waist deep in water, for 10s per week, in preference to accepting farm jobs at £1 or 255. And it is proposed to remedy this by abolishing relief camps. If a farmer is willing to pay a decent wage and offer decent conditions he need not i want for labour. Camp Worker.