40 HOUR WEEK

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 68, 29 September 1939, Page 5

40 HOUR WEEK

INFLUENCE ON FARMING

DEVELOPMENT SCHEMA

ANOMALIES

"If we are going t<S short of labour through men being Away Ave must meet the, position somehow 1 . You can't have both a, labour shortage and short hours and maintain production. You can't farm on the forty hour week," said Cr H. C. McCready at Tuesday's meeting of the Whakatane County Council when moving that the council ask the Government to extend the working week from 40 hours.

Councillors doubted whether such a request would have much effect but Cr McCrcady said that it was no good sitting still when thev knew what was wrong. They should have the 'intestinal fortitude' to Iry and bring a change about. Women and children were working in the sheds.

The discussion arose over the allocation of scheme 13 workers to farm developmental work, the assistant secretary to the Department of Labour having Avritten stating that the department had been utilising unemployed labour on this work under the subsidy scheme known as Scheme 13.

In quarters best informed of the international situation it is believed that successful prosecution of the" war depends largely upon the ability properly and continuously to feed the combatant and non-combatant forces and also by means of finance to maintain supplies of Avar material. As Britain is not self-sustaining so r?ar 'as food supplies are concerned it is most desirable that New Zealand should intensify its production and Scheme No. 4B represents one of the avenues through which that goal may be reached, said the letter.

In some districts all suitable -unemployed labour has been diverted to Scheme 4B work and it is now necessary to transfer men from Schcme 13 employment to 4B work. Similar action will be taken in other districts as the necessity arises.

This memorandum is to apprise local bodies of the action the department desires to take and to ask for their coroperation in the release of men from Scheme 13 works..

This was a vcrj" important matter, said Cr McCrcady Avhen the letter was read. They should consider asking the Government to extend the hours of the working week.'

DISSATISFACTION

Under this scheme one man knocked off at five o'clock, and did not wor.k on Saturdays and Sundays while alongside him another man had to work normal farm hours. This caused much dissatisfaction.

The chairman, Cr J. L. Burnett, said the Government also * had a scheme "whereby it subsidised the employment of inexperienced -work-

The Government itself admitted that you couldn't have a labour shortage and short hours, said Cr Me Cready. It admitted that you couldn't farm on the forty hour week.

Cr C. T. Smith thought any motion on the subject was out of the council's province. They were not asked to make recommendations but to operate the scheme.

Most of this work was usually done under contract, said Cr W. A. McCraclsen.

Under contract work the men must be able to earn 18s a day and an employer had to taxi them to work, said Cr L. W. Luxton.

WOMEN IN SHEDS.

"It's no good sitting still when we know what is wrongs" said Cr McCready. "We must try and bring :i change about. The whole thing is rotten. Is it fair to ask women and children r -«to go into the sheds? Our advicc was not asked for, but surely we can speak to the Government. If this thing goes on sooner or later the Government will have to pay for it." Galatea station hands were dissatisfied, said Cr T. G. H. Cawte. Shepherds "were working from foui o'clock to seven or eight o'clock at 1 night for 14s 6d a day. and these scheme men were getting 17s 6d i\ day for eight hours. The Galatea committee went lo the Minister and pointed out how grossly unfair it was, but he only turned round and "Put your shepherds on the scheme." '

The council then passed on to oth-

er business,