EVERY PLOUGHMAN WANTED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3038, 27 March 1917, Page 4

EVERY PLOUGHMAN WANTED

The appeals which are being made to the farming community just now to increase production, and especially to grow wheat,, are receiving the attention they deserve from tho man on the land. But in spito of the sympathetic attitude of the Act-ing-Prime Minister and tho Minister of Agriculture it seems plain that the difficulties which confront the farmer are not oven now fully appreciated. If we are mistaken in this view, and Ministers do realise how' the shortage of skilled agricultural labour, must cripple the efforts of tho farmers, then it must bo' clear that the steps proposed .to bo taken to relieve the situation are inadequate. Tho Minister of Agriculture has promised that any farmer who requires labour- for wheat-growing .purposes will seouro exemption for bis workers so engaged should they be called up in tho ballot. This is a very' proper stop, and so far as .it goes will assist to prevent the situation becoming worse. But it doee_ not provide 'a remedy for the existing shortage j of skilled ploughmen. The Government asks that the farmers shall put down 250,000 acres this year , in wheat, but with the best wishes in the world the farmers cannot do this with tho. existing labour available. This at least is the vi6w of ma,ny men of wide oxflerienoi. How there are probably a good many skilled ploughmen in camp at tho present time,whose services 'during the next two or three mouths would be of much more value to their country and the Empire as ploughmen than as soldiers, and this without any disparagement to their soldierly qualities. Why should not these men be temporarily released from their training in-order to assist in the carrying out of this urgently-needed agricultural work? Tliore is another point to whioh tho Minister of Agriculture and the Government and the Efficiency Board might well give thoir attention. Mr. Mao Donald has promised that ploughmen required for preparing the land for wheat-growing will be excused from military service, but what about the ploughmen required for oat-growing_ and the growing of feed for fattening stock 1 The farmers are urged to increase foodstuffs for export; how can they do this if they are unable to find

labour to plough .their _ land and grow fcho ncccssary -artificial food for fattening their stock ? Wo clo not know tho quantity of mutton lor export that is fattened, off on. grass alone, but it probably is not onethird of tho total quantity exported- Every ploughman in the country at tho present time is needed in New Zealand, and can best serve tho cause ofißritain and hor Allies by devoting his energies .to ploughing work. The Minister of Agriculture will, we trust, duly impress this fact on his colleagues.