FARM LABOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22657, 19 February 1937, Page 10

FARM LABOUR

SUBSIDY SCHEME THE WAGES OF YOUTHS INCENTIVE. TO TRAIN OFFER BY GOVERNMENT A wages subsidy is to be offered to those farmers who are prepared to train in farm duties suitable unemployed youths from 18 to 20 years who are physically fit but inexperienced in farm work. The scheme under which this subsidy is to be available was explained by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, in a statement to the Standard, the official organ of the New Zealand Labour movement. The Minister said the subsidy was conditional upon the farmer agreeing to: — (a) Notify the Labour Department after one week's trial at his owrt expense whether he is prepared to retain the youth's services at a weekly wage as laid down in the Agricultural Workers Act, 1936. (b) Accept statutory liability for accident. » (c) Provide free board and lodging or an allowance in lieu thereof at the rate of 17s 6d a week. (d) Teach the youth to milk and to do other relative branches of farm work. (c) Retain the youth for a period of not less than four calendar months. Dismissal of the youth prior to the end of four months or failure to teach him his duties will entail the refund or loss of all subsidy paid or due. At the end of the training period the farmer is to furnish the youth with a certificate indicating his length of service, nature of work performed and standard of efficiency. No subsidy will be payable to any farmer who dispenses with his regular employees for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of assistance. The subsidy will be limited to a period of eight weeks, and will be pavable only in respect of the second to nine weeks (inclusive) of continuous employment, at the following rates: "Weekly Subsidy cash wage to payable farmer Age £ s (1 s d 18 and under 19 years 1 7 6 10 0 10 and under 20 years il2 s i_ « 20 and under 21 years 117 6 1«j »u Application by farmers for the services of youths should be made to tho nearest employment bureau. GRAVE SHORTAGE IN OTAGO WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT WORK [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION'] DUKEDIN, Thursday The present shortage of - competent farm labour in Otago was the subject of comment by several speakers at a meeting of the Otago provincial executive of the Farmers' Union to-day. Emphasis was laid on the fact that, while there were men of a sort available for work in the country, competent men were almost impossible to get. A suggested solution was the adoption of methods of farming which would eliminate the need for so many farm workers, better machinery being mentioned as one of the most effective means to that end. Mr. Waite said the problem of farm labour was a general one all over New Zealand. There were more women and children working in cowsheds and ' n the haymaking fields than for many years. It was no new problem, but it had been aggravated by the public works wages fixed by the Government: He asked how they were to get over the difficulty. Ifarm machinery and implements of all kinds had increased rapidly in the past 10 years, Mr. Waite added, but still the labour shortage was acute. As far as he could see, there were two things farmers must do. They must make farm life more attractive and, at the same time, they must try to do without labour. New machinery and new methods would provide the way out, and, with a fuller use of them, farmers could easily, devise a means of doing without men. Then, when public works contracts were not so numerous, and the men wanted to go back to the farms, they would find no jobs for them. Mr. Stuart Sim moved the following resolution, which was carried:—"That;, in spite of Ministerial assurances to the contrary, we know from personal knowledge that there is a grave shortage of competent farm labour in Otago, and that women and children and machinery are doing much of the work previously done by men."