LABOUR BUREAU

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3813, 25 September 1936, Page 6

LABOUR BUREAU

FARMERS’ UNION TO SERVE FARMERS. In the course of a discussion at Thursday’s meeting of the Te Awamutu branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on farming problems, Mr D. H. Cavers, Waikeria Road, advocated that the Union should keep a register of available farm labour. Ho had mentioned the matter at another meeting, and nothing was done. The local branch could prepare for the busy season by advertising for men available for harvesting and make the replies available to members. Really a farmers’ labour bureau should be established. The chairman said the idea was a good one. Mr Hodgson thought not much good Would result. The whole position was that if the farmer cannot pay the wages he cannot gat labour. The chairman concurred in this view. Mr Hodgson said the Government appeared to have the opinion that the farmca- does not need experienced labour on the farm. A lot of rubbish had been talked by politicians who did not know the facts. The farmer could not pay a wage that would attract men from other occupations. Much of the trouble had arisen through farmers trying to manage their herds and farms with one helper of two. Yet he could not afford to employ two. The whole thing came back to compensated prices v. guaranteed prices. The Government should give the farmers the, compensated price for dairy produce. Instances were quoted of the very unsatisfactory type of labour available for farm work. This evoked comment that some farmers are by no means competent themselves!

It was proposed to establish a farm labour bureau, but eventually it was decided to set up a committee to investigate the possibility of such a scheme. —Messrs Bryant, Wyllie, Flay and Cavers were appointed the Committee.