FARM LABOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23110, 9 February 1937, Page 12

FARM LABOUR

AFFECTED BY REARMAMENT (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Jan. 16. The British Government's rearmais having many repercussions, the latest of which is to cause a shortage of casual agricultural labour. The workers are leaving the land in favour of a year or two’s permanent work in building aerodromes at 50 per cent, more wages. This season many East Anglian farmers have found great difficulty in getting men to lift the beet, and the same difficulty is likely to be experienced when the time comes for fruit picking, casual work on the market garden holdings, and in the harvest fields. Casual farm labourers number 58,000 men, 8000 youths, and 28,000 women. The aerodromes are taking the local skilled casual labour in many districts, while the farmers have to try to train unemployed miners to take their places. The whole position of casual farm labour has been most unsatisfactory. One view is that they are employed when they are wanted, but no one bothers much about what happens to them when they are not. Many farmers who can toe regarded as speaking with authority are greatly concerned about the general shortage of farming labour in some parts of England. One of the districts affected is Buckingham. A disinclination u noticed among young men to work on farms for an average of 30s to 35s a week with no keep, a different position from that existing generally in New Zealand. Consequently, other more lucrative and less monotonous work is sought, and concern is felt in some quarters at the apparent lack of potential farmers in the rising generation.