FARMERS' WIVES

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 102, 27 October 1933, Page 7

FARMERS' WIVES

MRS. M CCOMBS TAKEN TO TASK

WELFARE OF EMPLOYEES

"I regret that I have to bo tho first one to criticise the remarks of the lady member for Lyttelton, but if she is going to make statements that are not correct, as far as I am concerned, she will have to take her gruel along with other members," remarked Mr. A. Stuart (Government, Kangitikei) In the House of Representatives last evening. Mr. Stuart, referring to Mrs. McGombs's speech earlier in the debate, said it was an insult to the farmers' wives of the Dominion. Mr. Speaker: Order! Mr. Stuart: I will withdraw the word, seeing I cannot find another word for it. As a farmer myself, to have to sit here and listen to the hon. member for Lyttelton saying that farmers did not look after their employees —I forget the exact words she used Mr. J. O'Brien (Labour, Westland): You don't know what she said. Mr. Stuart: She inferred that they were not properly fed. lam quite, sure the hon. member for Lyttelton stated that women should bo employed to go round to see that the farm workers were properly looked after. I am sure of that. We have just as ' capable women among the farmers' wives as there are in the cities, and we don't, want women from the cities telling the farmers' wives what we should do. The farmers of the country look after their, employees as well as any employees are looked after throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand. When a man comes along with his swag, ho is not asked to go away hungry: many times my wife has cooked bacon and eggs for him. And then I am asked to sit here and listen to that.1 It is very hard. Bising to a point of order, Mrs. McCombs claimed that nhe had been misrepresented. "I made no reference to farmers' wives, nor did I rnako any reference to the.way boy employees wore fed on farms," she said. "The reference I made was to boys being sent out into tho country by the Unemployment Board to be employed on farms. I said that in one instance the boy was sent out into tho country, lie slopt in. a shed, ho'wus asked to do work that one would expect to bo given to a trained man, and he was practically cut off from human companionship. Further, I considered that if tho Government wcro to send boys out to farms they should appoint inspectors to see that tho boys were properly looked after, and I said, for preference, they should bo women inspectors." A Labour member (to Mr. Stuart): Apologise 1