HELP FOR FARMERS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 4

HELP FOR FARMERS

Employing Schoolboys During Holidays JOINT SCHEME BY DEPARTMENTS

A scheme' for employing secondary schoolboys on farm work during the summer holidays has been jointly prepared by the Education Department, the National Service Department and the Department of Agriculture.

Explaining the scheme, the Minister of Education, Mr. Mason, said last night that the first tiling was to find out where the labour was needed. The Department of Agriculture had arranged for this part of the scheme to be handled 'by primary production councils and committees. They were now getting into touch with, farmers throughout the Dominion, and would locate, vacancies and investigate conditions of work, accommodation and supervision. They had been advised that any boy placed on a farm should have accommodation and facilities for washing, etc., comparable to that of the farmer’s own family and should in no circumstances be required to have his meals alone or spend, his evenings alone. Where the councils and, committees could recommend vacancies along these lines, they would place the vacancies in the hands of officers of the National Service Department. Local officers of the Education Department would co-operate in a final scrutiny of all vacancies before steps were taken to fill them.

“We are making sure that the vacancy is up to the mark,” continued Mr. Mason, ‘•’but we are also going to make sure that the boy is up to the mark. Teachers and vocational guidance officers have been asked to co-oper-ate with officers of the National Service Department to see that boys selected for holiday farm work are fit, capable and responsible. As was the case in Great Britain, where teachers and pupils have enabled the harvest to be brought in, we in New Zealand will need every pair of hands available to bring in our harvest this year. For the past few years considerable numbers of city boys have been placed on farms over the long vacation and the high praise of the farmers concerned has testified to the value of such boys. This year many more farmers will need assistance and we feel that the schools can supply a great deal of it. Longer Holidays If Necessary.

“If seasonal work requires their services, these boys will be granted exemption from school attendance during February and those who are not sitting examinations may also be permitted to start work in December before the close of the school year. Thus they will be available for the greater part of the harvesting season. The farmer is asked to refund the cost of transport to the boy where the latter stays for a month or more, but the Railways Department has arranged a very substantial concession for boys travelling to holiday farm work. The concession will be available where the principal of the school issues a certificate that the boy is proceeding to such work. Boys will receive the appropriate award rates of wages. Arrangements are being made to keep in touch with the boys while they are on the farms. Boys and parents can obtaih full information from Government youth centres, district manpower officers or teachers. “In addition,” said Mr. Mason, “we are asking students and teachers to aid the war effort by taking up employment during the holidays. In the case of students and teachers who are single men or married men without children, the district manpower officers will be calling them in for interviews with a view to arranging employment for them. I should like to stress, though, that those who make their own arrangements to take up work of national importance over the vacation will not have those arrangements disturbed. Other teachers, women as well as men, are asked to give careful thought to this matter, and, if they feel that they are capable of giving assistance, they are asked either to make their own arrangements to do work of national importance or to seek the assistance of the district manpower officer in locating such work.”