The Dominion THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1943. DIRECTION OF LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 10, 7 October 1943, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1943. DIRECTION OF LABOUR

The urgency of labour requirements for the primary industries was the basis of the broadcast appeal made by the Minister of Rehabilitation on Tuesday night, and enlistments in the Womens Land Service undoubtedly would improve the position. But something more will have to be done if production is to be maintained. New Zealand has been asked for the maximum possible quantities of foodstuffs this year and there could be no greater incentive than the pressing needs of the people of Great Britain. Addressing a meeting of farmers in Taranaki last week Mr. A. Linton, a member of the Dairy Board, said that many farmers had reduced their herds to a size they could handle themselves, and it is admitted that the total number of cows being milked this season falls many thousands short of last year s the decrease was given as 70,000 at the laranaki meeting. There is one matter in connexion with farm labour which calls for an official explanation. The Minister of Industrial Manpower, Mr. McLagan, stated that 8000 men had been released from the forces to work on farms. When this was reported at a meeting of the Otago Provincial Council of the Farmers Union the chan man said: “Not one of them has come to our district, ’’ and Mr. J. Begg replied: “Everyone says the same.” Similarly Mr. Linton told the farmers in Taranaki that they had not seen any of the 8000 men who had been released. He added that he did not doubt that the men had been made available, but contended that the number was insufficient to maintain the present 'production.” Were these men released from any form of military duty under official direction to return to specified farm work? Were they meh for whom application had been made by individual farmers? And'what conditions, if any, were imposed to ensure that the men would remain on the farms ? These are the questions that many men on the land are now asking. A body of 8000 men entering the ranks of rural workers would represent a worthwhile reinforcement, provided they remained in that employment. If, however, they were free to take other Jobs, instead of going back to the farms, or could leave their places on short notice in order to take more highly-paid work —though probably less im-portant-then any benefit to the primary industries would be of only a temporary nature. The matter, like so many of the problems to be faced today, is of a dual character. The immediate, or short-term, aspect is the maintenance of production. It was never more imperative than it is today, and it calls for adequate supplies of labour. The producers have long since ceased to make any stipulation regarding skill and experience in the work. The long-term aspect deals with the provision of the necessary farming stock for post-war requirements. There will be a widespread demand for stock, and the supply, it present trends continue, will be very limited.. The latest official figures (interim returns) give the live stock position as at January 31 last, and they show a decline of cows in milk of about 42,000, when compared with the totals of a year earlier. • In the case of heifers intended for dairying the decline was 66,000 head. That means a reduction in the supply of dairying stock from which ex-servicemen aoing on the land will seek to obtain their requirements, and in addition there will be the restocking of farms that have temporarily been changed over to other kinds of farming', and the restoration of depleted herds. There can be little doubt that lack of labour has been one of the prime causes in the reduction of dairying herds, and the inability of farmers to deal with young stock, so that some definite dnection of labour, for what is still officially a non-essential industry, seems inescapable. Both the present and the future requirements call for prompt action. _____________