MEN FOR THE HARVESTING

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1933, Page 6

MEN FOR THE HARVESTING

LOWER WAGES; BIG WHEAT CROP. THE DEMAND FOR LABOUR. - • Harvesting of the big wheat crop, which should be in full swing throughout Canterbury by the end of this week, will provide about two months* employment for a considerable number of worXless men. Wage reduction, as well as’ the heaviness of the wheat crop, has produced the improved demand for country labour. The hourly rate for harvesters last year ranged from Is to Is 6d, but the maximum this season will probably be Is 3d. Harvesting has already been started,in the Dunsandel, Amberley and Waipara districts. In Marlborough, always earlier than Canterbury, most of the wheat is already threshed, and is coming on to the Wellington market. There a¥e some good wheat crops in stook or in stack in Nelson, though the areas under wheat were small.

The Canterbury harvest is coming later in the season than it did last year or the year before, but on both, of the previous occasions the prolonged dry weather brought the crops on rather too quickly. This season, the harvest is coming at a more normal stage. The view of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch is that the Canterbury wheat yield will average 35 bushels an acre, compared with 25.80 bushels last year. Mildew and rust will in some districts prevent the threshing results from reaching the extraordinarily high figure at one time anticipated, but there was no need to fear that the diseases were seriously affecting the crops, a Sun reporter was told.

In one authoritative quarter, it was stated that the wheat crop would be the biggest for 20 years. Threshing of oats and grass-seed is well ahead in the province. In most cases, however, farmers are doing this work without the employment of extra labour. It is for handling the heavy wheat that the unemployed in Christchurch will be drawn upon. Many of the oat crops are providing excellent yields. Last season’s average of 28.71 bushels to the acre is insignificant beside the 66 bushels to the acre of Algerian, weighing well, which one Methven farmer has obtained.

So good already is the demand for harvest, labour in the Ashburton district, that an Ashburton bureau expects to be short of men. In Christchurch there may be more men offering than can be absorbed, but the labour market is very much steadier than at the corresponding time last year. It is not expected that wheat will be threshed in any quantity before the end of this month, " r ~~ "