COUNTRY WAR EFFORT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 127, Issue 127, 9 July 1941, Page 4

COUNTRY WAR EFFORT

is going to be a breakdown in many cases in a few months, just as there has beem in the maize-plucking business. From reading the BE'A'GONi I gather. that some. 1 people were surprised that there were! not enough maize-pluckers to go round. Thos« same people may also be surprisied in a few months to find that there are not enough general farm workers to carry on the work to be done 1 — especially when the haymaking sea son begins. It would be well for somebody to get busy in this matter now, otherwise we will again have to get the BEACON 1 to try (when it is too late) to musiter idle townspeople and takei them in cars to country jobs, as in the recent maize plucking business. That sort of thing is all right in fine weather, but look at what has happened recently: on one Saturday the volunteer maizepl'uckers- gathered in 10 acres of maize, and the following two Saturdays were wet. So it is with all farm work. The weather is a big factor, and there; has to be enough permanent labour on each farm to do the work as weather permits., At present it appears that farm labour has been depleyted below the danger line, and will be more depleted bv the end of the year, as further drafts of mem go to camp. I think it is just as well to face facts and be prepared. for the coming breakdown in the farm labour situation. Meanwhile there may be some relief if all farmers adopted the non-stripping of cows (as; reported in the Beacon), but most farmers won't believe that. Yours etc., VERB. SAP.

Sir, —It seems that the apparent surplus of unpluoked maize and shortage of labour for plucking the crop has startled a lot of town people. Actually the position is that the farm land<| always* have been under-staffed with permanent and casual labour. Now thei position is accentuated because of efforts to grow larger crops at a time when practically all men of military age are away from the farms. One has only to read the BEACON regularly to estimate how many less men there must be on Bay of Plenty farms for the 19)11-42 dairying season as compared ths 1940-41 season. Yet there are'Qxpectations of as much or more milk being extracted from local' cows this; season, and much more of it to be made into cheese. This is all going to call for a lot of work by somebody. 'Who'? I fear that when the new dairying season is well on its way there will be just as big a fuss made about the shortage of people to do the work as ha,s been made over the present lack of maize-pluclters. The diversion of much milk from butter to cheese production is not likely to lessen the work to be done on thesa farms. Rather is it likely to cause more rush and bustle, including the harnessing, of horses, to take milk to roadside milk stands. It appears thai many farm worker-teams have beena reduced in manpower through th«» demands for soldiers for overseas. Those lerft on the farms) will carry on as best they can, but I fear there (Continued in previous column J