PRODUCTION ON FARM

Southland Times, Issue 24597, 20 November 1941, Page 4

PRODUCTION ON FARM

Southland Family’s

War Effort

Evidence of the efforts made by some farmers in Southland to meet war conditions are occasionally given at sittings of the Man-Power Committee. At the sitting in Invercargill yesterday details were given of the work being undertaken by one country family, and _in granting the appeal for the retention of a son on the farm the committee extended hearty congratulations to the farmer. The evidence showed that on a farm of 344 acres 88 head of cattle (including 70 cows in milk), eight horses, 300 sheep and 75 pigs were being carried. The cropping programme covered 90 acres, of which 30 were in oats, 30 in turnips and chou moellier and 30 in young grass. On this farm last year 16,8241 b of butterfat were produced, 10 bales of wool, 305 fat lambs and 75 pigs. The farmer said that all the farm work was done by himself, his wife, his son and his daughter. The son and daughter helped him in the milking shed in the mornings, but in the evenings his wife took the place of the son, who was entirely responsible for the team work, which kept him occupied all day. In reply to a question by a member of the committee, the farmer said that the work he outlined could not be done in much less than 100 hours a week for all hands during the greater part of the year. The appeal was adjourned sine die. In another case, a farmer asked for the territorial service of one son to be postponed for a time. He said he had four sons, two of whom were serving overseas and a third was in territorial camp. He could not get through the work of the farm without the help of at least one son, and he asked that the service of the fourth be postponed until the third returned from camp. The committee had no hesitation in granting the appeal and commended the appellant on the moderation of his request.