HILL COUNTRY LABOUR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 61, 26 June 1950, Page 4

HILL COUNTRY LABOUR

Sir,—l read with some concern the resolution passed by the Hill Country Committee of Federated Farmers and being interested in the farm labour question, would like to express some views on this most vexing question. Of course the farmers must realise that they allowed this position to be brought about without either they or their Federation doing anything whatever to prevent it, in fact for as long as I can remember they have been going to extremes to aggravate the position. I at 30 being the youngest of a large family of boys started my farming career at home. The 191921 slump brought about a change of fortunes for many farmers among which were my parents. The only job I could get at that time was to help a man milk 67 cows night and morning and spend the day digging rushes, 10/- a week and found. I swore I would not hire out to a farmer again and nor did I till I was thoroughly convinced that there was no job better for a married man, without a trade. With a family of sons and so I have returned to the farm to find, Mr Editor, that while wages are a very slight shade closer to a fair return for services rendered, conditions are almost exactly similar. No encouragement for anyone « to take jobs on the farms. Having made that point I pass on to the next. Everywhere you go you will find the farmers educating their sons to be lawyers, doctors, clerks, etc. any-' thing except farmers. Now Sir, can the farmers honestly expect to educate natural born workers from their jobs and get replacements from where. Well there’s only the towns to get them from, and if a farmer expects to get a first class man from the town then how disappointed he is going to be; for the man who will make a good farmer will also make a good clerk, truck driver, trammie, etc. and is in good demand. And let me tell you the man who will not be good at these things is also unlikely to make k. good farmer and so is better.left in the town. If the farmer doesn’t educate his son from the farm then he is shared by various means. Politicians during election speeches shout from platforms. They tell the farmers and their sons and the farm workers, the towns are taking the boys from the farms they are going to the towns to take high paid jobs and shorter hours. The v press makes the same statements, the radio bawls it into every home, and so the farmer wakes in the morning and finds the son he has counted on packing his bag and going in search of the rainbow’s end. Whether he finds it or not he doesn’t return; his natural pride will not let him. There is a reason for this. These people are interested in factories, businesses, etc. which at all costs must not be allowed to suffer from the lack of first class labour, and it is from the farms that this labour is drawn; for what better man can you get than the man who has learned to rise early, eat regular, work long hours steadily and through sheer necessity has learned absolute self-reliance. Yes, it’s no

wonder these people sell the good town job, an idea to the farmer boys.

My next point brings me back to a previous letter re a farm workers union. Now if the farmer wants good farm labour, he nas to start a campaign to do this he will need a farm workers union. Why? I'll tell you. The farmers and the workers must get together and work out a scheme whereby the farmer can. of • fer competition, attractions and conditions. The farmers have a Federation almost useless as regarding dairy farm labour. However if they could have a representative of the farm workers, they would then really be able to get some idea on how to overcome the labour problem while the Federation go groping about as they do, almost completely in Ihe dark regarding the needs of their labour and the standards of condition necessary to encourage a good type to take up this most desirable of jobs, then they will get where they are getting fast just nowhere. With a good Union we the dairy farm workers can give the dairy industry almost unlimited help in this problem of farm labour. Without a union Sir, we are just stagnate. So you Bay of Plenty farmers and farm workers what about it.

Yours etc., FARM WORKER Whakatane R.D., June 13.