EFFICIENCY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11949, 7 March 1917, Page 6

EFFICIENCY.

TO-DAY'S MEETING.

| MR J. A. FROSTICK IN CHRISTCHURCH.

In continuation of the series oi inteiviews arranged by the National Ju&cienev Board" between member., ot the board and orimary producers, tieUntorburv Commissioner, Air J. A. uos-t-ick, met this afternoon at the rooms oi the Canterbury Agricultural and i astoral Association representatives or primarv producers in North and Central Canterbury. Mr C. H. Eusor presided. The attendance numbered about jilt.v. The chairman briefly explained the objects of the meeting, whicli, he said, were briefly to help the board in organising the inan power of the Dominion both" for fighting and for industrial purposes. The Commissioner was up against a. hard proposition. The- men essential for the country must, be' retained. Some concrete proposal was required. Mr Frostick .said that the board was only eleven days old, and that was rather early to expect definite proposals from it. He would have visited the north part of Canterbury had time permitted, and he recognised the good nature of those gentlemen from Hurmtui, etc., at that day's meeting. A proper distribution of the man power of the country was essential. They had to read their newspapers regularly to realise the enormous strength opposed, to the Empire, and .sacrifices must be cheerfully made. It had been said that unfed soldiers were of no value. That was fully realised by the Government and the board, which had been told, although rather late, that men must be combed <o(ut in order to carry on the v/ork npce.ssary. They must do the best with the labour available, and be prepared to teach, where necessary. The sorting out of industries could not be done in n few weeks, and the board would not be able to perform all the work entrusted to it. during; the war period. They must do for themselves everything possible. Mone,y and capital must not be considered. There could be no dia,sent from that principle. NO CLASS DISTINCTIONS.

Mr Frostick, continuing, said that lm did not pretend to much knowledge of agricultural or pastoral work. Inn, he had a good adviser in Mr E. P. Burhury, who was that day at Gerakline. His .services -would bo available as required. The board would recognise no oliiss distinction*, and exemptions would not. bo .granted for selfish reasons. Fanners should co-operate together and see what could bo done to release men. Could not shearing and mustering be done l>y various areas being grouped as one block? Another point raised « r ;is ploughing. It had been claimed at Timaru that nil ploughmen should be exempted from military service, but that was rather a .sweeping claim. It- must never he. forgotten that the country was at war. The farmers were better able to guide the Efficiency Board than the board was able to guide the fanners. (Hcnr, hear.) Concrete proposals wore frequently moulded according to geographical and other situations. Tt had been .suggested that the chairmen of Road Boards should call meetings and appoint small area commit tees, with a central executive.

Mr Frostick recalled that one farmer bad grumbled because a man asked /30s a week for his services, instead of the 40s usually paid. Was it unfair, considering the prices being obtained by farmers for their products that labour wanted higher wages? Tt had bee.i said that the Government should have, been prepared with a. well defined scheme, but 'their common-sense would show that it was impossible. During, the last two or three days tie had met several men with no intention of shirking who asked to May 31 to get their crops in. He felt sure that- if assurances were given that the .grain would bo put in, th.A Military Board would exempt such men to the end of May. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

Mr Ensor said that the Commissioner was feeling his way and_would be giad i;o answer any questions.

Mr Tlinaldi said that it had been discussed in his district if the Government should not com mjnn deer theshearing sheds. Each i'armor wanted to got his .sheep done first and the. hoard might recommend the Government taking over certain sheds. Local committees could advise tho boartl as ito retaining tho services of certain it en who were expert shearers. He. had recommended bands of five farmers be iug formed to work in gangs. On his 300-acre farm he managed with one*, sixteen-year-old boy. Ho could put in a- normal crop if the neighbours helped him.

Mr Frostiek replied that the. suggestion made was practical, and would be Adopted in Ashburfon and Geraldine. As to whether the Government could commandeer the sheds, well, commandeer was a nasty word, but if it- were necessary the Government could say to a shed-owner, " You shall open your shed!" (Applause.) AMUR I PROPOSALS. Mr D. Rutherford said that he considered the best solution would be to got the. counties to take charge ami supervi.se the working of the absent soldiers' forms, each within their boundaries. This wck could never be dons satisfactorily under the cumbersome machinery which the Government would have to arrange to do it, the cost of which would, probably take the whoio pro/its of the form. Under county management by a board of trustee,";, who would know the. climatic conditions of their own county better than outsiders, who would have to be employed jby the National Efficiency Board, no I doubt better results would be obtainicd; The Amuri County, with the aid \ tended to watch the interests of all dis- ! of the local Red Cross Association, intrict soldiers and their dependants. It would be, of great advantage to the counties if a national register of all males between the ages ef sixteen and sixty-five were taken. This was work which could l)e done very cheaply by using tne County Council machinery. He was confident that the. labour, if it were properly handled, would in most cases be .sufficient for the needs of the county. Up to the present there had been no system of manipulation of labour in farming districts, as the following examples would show:—One farmer, knowing of the shortage of labour only cropped about twenty acres of oats for home consumption, which he reaped and stocked himself. Three neighbours helped him to stack, with the result that he had to return the compliment, and work for a month helping them with their 400 acres of crop- Another instance was where a farmer with a young useful team of boys, cut, and stooked his crop, and while it was doing its regulation time in stook, they did nothing, while a neighbour, whoso sons -were fighting, was grafting away with the aid of his wife and daughters to get his harvest In, would have been thankful of their help, but had no means of obtaining it. With the organisation-of labour this sort of thing would not happen. The exemption of shearers and slaughtermen appeared very absurd when the mustprers and shepherds had to go, a« they were most essential for keeping both tho above classes employed. A lad of from seventeen to twenty, and men over military age, could not stand mustering for months on the high country. The result now was that large number* of sheep on the high country would not be shorn this season. Mr D. Rutherford added that regarding tho difficulties of mustering, 25 per cent of his sheep were still on the hi is .Hid if snow came on they would probably be. lost. With regard to shearing, it was the intention of himself ana his co-trustees jn Amuri