GAP BETWEEN TOWN AND COUNTRY

Chronicle (Levin), 2 May 1946, Page 5

GAP BETWEEN TOWN AND COUNTRY

— Press Association

COMMENTS ON 40-HOUR WEEK.

By Telegraph-

WHANGAREI, April 27. Farmers have realised' only'too'well, according to the acting chairman of tke New Zealand Dairy Board, Mr. A. Linton, that one of the effeets of the legislation making the 40-hour week universal is to widen still further the gap between wliat the eountry can offer and the greater attractions of the higli wages and 40-hour week of the eities. Arr. Linton told the board 's ward conferenee at Whangarei that farmers thought that this should be taken into consideration when the price of dairy produce was fi.xed for next season, and that they should be recompensed in some way through their price for the longer hours worked on the farm. It was obviouslv impossible, Mr. Linton said, to work a 40-hour week on dairy farms, but in the price they coul l receive something extra to compensate them for the additional hours that had to be worked. That would help to attraet labour to the farms, and would allow them to retain emplovees who would "otherwise be attracted away. The dairy section o.f the Federated Farmers and the Dairy Tudustry Council had jointlv decided to aim at securing for dairy farmers the standards set out by the 193.8 guaranteed price advisorv coinmittee, but later altered by the Alinister of Finance, the Rt. Hon. W. Nash. Tlie industry had always laboured under a genuine sense of grie""'ance over that unwarranted reduction and felt tliat there was no longer anv • reason for forgoing any thin g from standards unanimously fixed by very able men representing both Ihe industry and the Government.