WOMEN ON FARMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24748, 23 November 1943, Page 4

WOMEN ON FARMS

SUB-PLUS AVAILABLE APPEAL TO USE LABOUR An effort is to be made to encourage farmers to make more use of women workers. At the present time, there is a- considerable surplus of enrolments in the Women's Land Service over vacancies for women on farms. It is considered that the greater use of women will help farmers to avoid sending cows to the killing works because _ they do not have enough labour 4 to milk them, and that it will in many other ways further the general effort to maintain and increase production, although their employment will not relieve seasonal labour demands, such as that which has resulted in the mobilisation of Territorials. In a circular which has been sent to district councils of primary production Mr. P. W. Smallfield, director of the fields division of the Department of Agriculture, says it is realised that farmers are reluctant to accept inexperienced workers, but as time goes oil they must realise that there will be no alternative if permanent labour is wanted.

Mr. Smallfield says that in Britain there are 60,000 members of the Women's Land Army working on farms. In spite of a considerable amount of prejudice on the part of farmers at the beginning, the women have shown themselves capable of doing most of the work previously carried out by men. In New Zealand there are 1150 members of the Women's Land Service on farms. "Our women are being used to a considerable extent to take place of men in industry," says Mr. Smallfield. "and I think it can be fairly stated that agriculture has lagged behind in this respect, and it will be necessary for farmers to employ many more of them." VALUE OF LAND GIRLS ADVERSE CRITICISM (0.c.) JiOTOKUA, Monday

Adverse comment was made regarding the value of young land girls at a meeting of the Rotorua Primary Production Council. One member stated that instead of being a help on the farms they gave the housewife more work. If girls could he used in the house, thus allowing the experienced wife to help her husband, better results would he obtained. It was decided that the Government be asked to inaugurate a subsidiary branch of the land girls' service to train girls as assistants in farmers' homes.