THE FOOD FRONT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 122, 26 May 1942, Page 5

THE FOOD FRONT

WAR COULD BE LOST

Women In Primary Industry In Australia

Special Australian Correspondent, niteel Press Association.—Copyright. Rec. noon. SYDNEY, this day. I he war can easily he lost on the food front," says the Directorvir < \v r<° anpowe r in Australia, Air. \\ . c. \\ urth, when emphasising nGed . fo ~ primary production xing maintained at the maximum, in a drive to ensure plentiful supply of essential foodstuffs Australia is planning to make extensive use of women labour on the land. The NewSouth Wales Women's Land Army has been formed and is expected soon to have this organised on a Commonwealth scale.

The question of women labour in association with manpower problems, especially in primary industry, will be a prominent feature of Australia's war economy during the next few months, when millions of sheep pass through the shearing sheds. Shearing labour has been rationalised under the zoning system under which the work in various districts will be done at specified times. Graziers have been asked to state their minimum labour requirements and arrangements are being made through the DirectorGeneral of Manpower to have made available the labour required. Men may be temporarily withdrawn from other industries and the army.

Register of Seasonal Workers A register of seasonal workers will also be compiled by the manpower authorities. The men named are expected to be placed on the same footing as those engaged in essential industries. Along the East Coast of Australia 30.000 workers are expected to be granted at least seasonal exemption from armv service. It is estimated that 16,000 men will be required to maintain the pastoral industry in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The sugar industry in Queensland and New South Wales will absorb a further 14,000. Graziers have been advised in assessing their requirements for shearing labour that they should arrange wherever possible to employ women instead of men as shedhanrls and cooks. The fact that women in New Zealand do such shed work as piecepicking and wool rolling is stressed. It is estimated that the rural industry in New South Wales alone requires more than 3000 women workers and it is hoped this number may be raised on a voluntary basis. Care must be taken to see that recruits from the land army do not come from the munitions industries which arc employing heavily increased numbers of women.