NEW ZEALAND'S LABOUR PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1025, 14 January 1911, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND'S LABOUR PROBLEM.

INFORMATION. FROM ENGLAND. /By the last English mail camo tho interesting information that the farm labour problem, in New Zealand had - been solved. •The information was contained in an. agricultural journal published in London, and tho solution was said to have boen found .in .the milking machines. We all know that many New Zealand dairymen have put milking machines to very good use,: and that they have saved a.considerable amount of labour ill the milking of., cows, and that for .somo pdople they ;havo: overcome the trouble > of, being short of milkers, But it is now that they have fixed up tho scarcity ; of shearers, or the shortage of- haymakers in tfco Rangitikei. Referring solely to milking machines, information is somewhat astray. It. is only a few. weeks since farm labour matters wore, dealt. with- in an article in these columns. In that article it--was stated that reliable information, gathered by careful inquiries, showed th'atrit was very difficult, to . get milkers at higher wages than , they. have over before been offered, in this country. Ifl. Taranaki, as'inuch-as thirty shillings' a week\ and keep .was-offered, and ; the jobs' went unfilled. Milking situations will always bo vacant unless tho conditions of doing the_ work . are. much altered. Thbroare' J features as milkers', which do not'-appeal, to tho . firm woYkeVs-of tq-'day;'and as long as tKoso,' features exist?'sti . long will . jobs "'as milkers go begging" if. the' ; workers ; can. ■get'something else to do.