THE NEED FOR AGRICULTURAL WORKERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3042, 31 March 1917, Page 15

THE NEED FOR AGRICULTURAL WORKERS

'ALL PRIMARY' PRODUCERS .REQUIRED HERB. Sir,—As. each succeeding ballot keeps picking up more of the' agricultural •workers,' 1 think it is time the Government seriously considered tho matter, ' and exempted all' remaining, 01 else'the country will soon be stripped bare.'i '■ Even in England 'it is conceded that the food supply is. of more importance than men. ..But' here, it seems to be the other way. ■ Out townspeople ate already complaining of the, excessive cost of, living, but at the.present time it is a more trifle to wbat it.will bo should the war continue .and the ballot keep on raking in the' agricultural worker, •^ln : classifying the men of militars agos of tbo First and Second Divisions 'the..Government seGms to .'have overlooked tho fact that it was not holding the scales, justly as between town and country. Tie towns are not providing an equal quota, with the country on a population basis. The reason is not far to seek.' "With tew exceptions, the members of the First Divi; sion m the country are.farmers or farmers' sons, who. hope to become farjmers in time. .But; before these would-be farmers can attain their enc they must own or be able, to secure a, backing of capital running into hunIdreds or thousands of pounds. This takes time and . delays marriage, foi even when the capital is secured thej have to work a'year or two "to tun themselves round'' (even if they have the lady secured) before they car marry. Consequently, few, of th6H in these days are able' to marry mucl before thay' are 30' years of age, an; 'so most of them are in the First Divi sion.' But the townsmen are different Most of' them by the'time they. ar< 20 or 21 are earning as ..much as .the; will be ever, able to earn, aid eo the; marry early. But the time" they an 30 they have''. a family of severa children, and so belong to Division. Hence the basis of.classi ftcation is .faulty,' and most, unjust b the country men, and it must not b forgotten, that the country _men • ar primary producers, whilst the towns men usually .are not. Go into 'almos any shop or store and you will nn< strong, iealthy men strenuously em ployed weighing.out pounds of sugar measuring off yards of calico, or per forming some • other' laborious task o like nature that could just as .easil; be performed by a'woman or girl That man ought to be v camp. Inquiry wll usuaU, prove' that he has a wifs am family and so belongs to the Sccom Division. , ■■• , . In fact, the divisions are based on ; faulty principle, • Occupation should bi 1 considered' as well as marriage ant family: The: remedy is simple an< easily' found. All remaining uncaUe< farmers and'farmers' sons, and otlie, rural workers should he totally, exempt ed, and those hard-working sugar-weigh era and:calioo-measurers,»etc., shoul( be ; put into the First Division, if o military age, children' or no children, • Of course, we shall immediately b told by'all and sundry, from Cabine Ministers.downwards, that the countr; cannot, afford to send-away~ its marriee moil with, families, the allowances am pensions will be too.great—"the eingl men must-go before the married mei ate balled lip." That has been said s> often that'people really believe in it But I'Claim'that it is far cheaper fo the country to send away one of thes shop'assistants even though .he bay a wife and six children, than it is. t< send away a farmer," even. 2 he ha; not a; single .dependant..:'WhyP; .The'i> aro inst;twb'classcs_in .the'<»mmirhityr: producers•'and.'non-rpfdduciers, an'&'it' i '' jjtb i.the non-produoing blass "' that" ou ; (shop assistant belongs.. However con yenient and useful non-produoers ma; ,'be in /times of 'peace, .yet; when th country is. fighting for,its actual exist -enco the greater number of them mus be found more profitable ■ employment for at .all times they and their wive; and families' are.'really, supported b; the producers, and not by their' owi particular, occupation.' They .do no supply one singlo'pennyworth, of yalu l towards their own-and -their families support. ' ■ . '• . •.;Now, a',farmer is .'a producer- pun and simple. -In the casei mentioned wi have a man, wife, and six children and one farmer, a total of nine, o whom only'tho farmer is a'producer The' farmer', being single,' is sent ti the front, leaving the country' witl eight non-producers to support, but! %he husband is sent instead of the far mer, the country retains a producer and it has only seven non-producer: to support. Hence it is infinitel; cheaper for the "country to retain, it: farmers and farmers' sons and pay sop aration allowance and pensions to-tlu wives and'families of its non-producers Unfortunately, this never seems t< ■have occurred, to' our , New ; ; Zealanc statesmen. They,, merely take a s sur face .vieW;of thinsis, suoh. as.a.cWlf might he expected to take, and whei at last it begins, to dawn upon i.theii that \they # really will' have "'to ''mala s'dmo: provision food production; thi pnlv plan they, ■ nro able to v formulati is to tako away the expert in .his call lug and supply a. paid novice under ; paid Supervisor.,iu his place. Solomoi was ; a fool" albfisrsidd' the man 'thiv. -~ {hatched such,an.lidea.'''."Wouldn't'it-bi : ' ranch cheaperand simpler to keopthi ■eicpert'nnd let tho novice go'tO'th war? '.But/the. State is a great be . liever in inspectors ar.d: supervisors Thecheapesji way- to ru a a-farm is ti let its owner do it. He doesn't worl by the clock and requires no superri ; sion. Mnny iarms, particularly ii their earlier staees—the kind; usualh found in IBs hands of unmarried men— don't.pay for the labour expended oi them, lot alone for supervision.—l am etc., . LOOKER-ON.