FARM LABOUR AND TAXATION

Southland Times, Issue 24167, 2 July 1940, Page 8

FARM LABOUR AND TAXATION

To The Editor

Sir, —We have now some indication from the Hon. W. Nash, Minister of Finance, where and how the increased taxation is to operate. I wish to draw attention to one serious danger, coupled with unfairness, which has been overlooked and which the whole farming community in conjunction with the Government should readily see and agree to adjust. This is the shortage of labour for farms. One of our country’s main war efforts is admittedly more production. For many years now, as has often been pointed out, there has been a great inequality between the remuneration and conditions for farm labour and those for every other branch and channel of labour. The effect of this has been easily seen in depleted farms and diminishing production. If the wages of experienced farm labourers were doubled it would not do more than bring them into line with almost every other class of labour when it is considered that they are required to work 60 hours a week for £2/10/- plus £1 board (£3/10/-) against almost all other labourers’ 40 hours for £5. Therefore an increased tax on farm labourers will have the direct effect of aggravating the position and will lead inevitably to a lessening of production.

The only remedy, and a fair and just one, is to increase the wages of farm workers and absolutely exempt them from increased taxation, and to reduce wages for almost every other class of employment and if necessary to increase the tax. Farmers would then get the labour required and the Government would get the increased production that Britain is urging us to provide. Every one should be willing to make sacrifices, but as the position now stands the farm labourer is called upon to do more than his share and production must suffer. This country should definitely return to the 48-hour week, thousands of men should be withdrawn from non-essential works, and our whole population should grasp and realize the fact that our Empire is grappling for its very existence with an unscrupulous foe.—Yours, etc.,

EX-SOLDIER.

June 29, 1940.