TRAINING IN SHEARING

Evening Star, Issue 24330, 20 October 1942, Page 5

TRAINING IN SHEARING

UNSUCCESSFUL REPRESENTATIONS The secretary of the Otago Primary Pro* duction Council, Mr ‘E. H. Calder, advise* that the council’s efforts to secure the release from camp of 40 young farmers, aged 18 to 20 years, in order to have them trained as shearers have been unsuccessful When he was in Dunedin last month representations were made to Mr W. J. Poison, former Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes, and he promised to place the matter before the War Cabinet as soon as he returned to Wellington. It was pointed out to Mr Poison that the position as regards shearing was critical, and than in order to make provision for the future it was felt advisable to train the 40 young men referred to so that they could ba available for this and next year’s shearing, and also possibly for 1944. They could return to camp immediately the shearing reason was over. When Mr Poison resigned hi* portfolio representations were again mad a to the Government through the National Council of Primary Production. ■ When Mr A, C. Cameron, denuty-chair-man of the Otago Primary Production Council, was in Wellington last week lie interviewed several Government departments in connection with the matter, and finally found that the recommendation had: gone as far as the Director of National Service. but had still to go from there to the Director of Mobilisation. Mr Cameron was able to convince the National Service Department officials of the urgency of the position, and received a promise that the recommendation would go through immediately to the Director of Mobilisation. Ha was later informed that the latter aid not view the request favourably, but that further representations would be made. Advice has now been received from tiia Roxburgh Committee to the effect that ifc considers that it is now too late to maka the necessary arrangements for training these 40 young farmers. Assuming that the release of the men is approved by tha Director of Mobilisation, a further fortnight would probably elapse before the men would be available to assemble in Roxburgh, and this would be too late for the district.

“ This is most as, judging from the success achieved last year Wa classes would go a long way towards ig what is going to be a serious problem during the next few years,” said Mr Caldcr.