FARMERS AND DEFENCE

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14657, 26 January 1912, Page 2

FARMERS AND DEFENCE

TRAINING AT HARVEST TIME.

STATEMENT BY COLONEL BITRNETT-ST"CTAKT.

At the meeting of the .North, Canterbury Executive or the Farmers' 'Union on Wednesday, a letter rms > received from tho president of tho Cust. unci West Evreton Branch of tho Fanners' Union, who wrote forward- | iug tho following resolution, adopted at a meeting of Ins committee: —"That . iiis 'branch "protests against the calling i out of military recruits during harvest operations." The writer .sa.d it appeared that no effort was made to enrol members during the slack part of the summer, and now, when the men were earning good wages and the farmvis were anxious to securu their grain, the men were called away a considerable distance to attend parades. His committee would be' £)leased if tho North Canterbury Executive would do their best to induce the Commandant of the New Zealand Forces to choose a more favourable time in which to muster his recruits. -Alter some discussion. LicutenantColoiifcl Burnett-Stuart, in reply, said that most of the uuiicuitie* ra.sed wore duo to want of knowledge. .V ootauhunt had recently aopeared in an Ash burton paper, and he hud caused a reply to bo senf, x>otnting out that -f any per.-on was warned to attend fur training at a time inconvenient to himKolf or !iis employers, ho had only to iieorm m wr.tir.g the officer warning him of that fact, and he would be excused attendance- on tho understanding that l:o took a later opportunity of making up the time lest. H u received ::. request, the other day, from tho Timaru Branch of the Farmers' Union i asking that tin- trailing should ba postponed omirely till tho middle c-f -March. Jle had to reply that lie could not order a complete jiostpon-o-moiit of tiie training to suit one section <;i' the. community, especially ;u3 the trailing had oalv ju-t staitod," and it would be so bad for the scheme i they started it by -.tupping it. Ho , was. however, able to say that as far as those, v/oi-e con; erned who ver* entiaged in agricultural pursuits wli.ch had to -be atrtr.dod to at this time jf the- year, they could put in their parade.-; at a time more suitable to themselves. Tho parade., for attestation wero absolutely ■ioccssary, for the men had to bu enrolled so tnat they might Ik? measured for their unifoiniis, hut unce a man had attended one parade for attestation and enrolment the 'Defence authorises were quite prepared to lot hoi attend no more until haivost was over, so long as he would promi-c either to put in the required number of drills litfore the end of the war. and if lie could not do that that he would give an undertaking that he would .hi h s bast, 'i'hey were not so unreasonable as to make the scheme so uuelastic ;is to insist on everybody .putting in the total required. As to the matter of allowing a man to attend for driil at another centre, that wa.. already provided for by the regulations. A" lad was perfectly at liberty to put in h'-« drill at. any centre lie pleased, and he was provided with a record book for that purpose. The authorities were only too willing, and uu\ious to suit everybody's convenience, buij tho thing was so Vg that there must be a 1-ttle inconvenience to somebody. He did not think, howctcr, that there v. oii'kl 1.0 the slightest difiiI euliv in meeting the objections rirsed thai' d-v provided th-re. wao tho will to do the work. The scheme in its present .-.lage was hound to be experimental, but as thrv ;r o t. more in touch with the ueoplo th'cv'wniiM be able to iu'd cut what" was bast to strt the con-i-'-n-'euce of those in different parts of hi rcnly" to qiicsttorSi, Colonel Bur-u.-ti-Snuu; seitl that the parade? cone: !,;■ worked of-i 1/v periods of eontnu.ais training, one day being equivalent t.» iuer parades. That was a provision that w?.a being availed ei, esji.c ia'l.v in tho country districts. ! 'riie Chairman Ssaid that personally lie was quite satisfied with the infor roation ■iv n, and ho thought his bran -h would be. (Hear, hear.) He v, as exceedingly pleased to find that the military authorities were taking such a very mod-orate view of the matter, and were the farmers so eoie-iderate'.y. He intended to see as many of the farmers as he could, and urge them to fall in with the suggestions made. On the motiou of ifr R. Eva .is, t hearty vote of thanks was accorded Colonel Burnett-Stuart for the information ho had given, -coupled with an i.nt mation that the Union would l>e only too willing to give what assistance it could to the Officer Commanding at any time.

The secretary t-f the South Canterbury Farmers' Uni' n (Mr A. Thoreau) has re.'e.ved the lol.oivmg letter flora Mr T. Buxton, M.P.:— "I have jours of the 13th inst. re enrolment and parade of farm hands during harvest time. I have written about this matter, and may say that I am of opinion that y<:ur hands should not he f'.r.-ed to drill during harvest time." Captain Andrews, of the South Canterbuiy Territorials, has also written to the Farmers' Union to the effect that farm hands would be exempt during the months of January and February. This, Mr Thoreau, points out, is not si bit of good. There is no desire whatever to have the lads exempt during January. The mentlis when it dos'red tint'they should be free :.re February and March.