SUBSIDY OFFER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20097, 17 November 1939, Page 8

SUBSIDY OFFER

INEXPERIENCED MEN * EMPLOYMENT ON FARMS SURPLUS AVAILABLE TRAINED WORKERS SHORT

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. ! The existence of a large surplus of j inexperienced farm labour in the j North Island and a surplus of both \ experienced and inexperienced farm j workers in the South Island, is'disclosed in figures queiod to-day bv the Minister of Labour, the lion. P. C’. ; Webb in an interview. He announced that the Government : had decided to offer a subsidy of £1 | to farmers for the employment of j inexperienced workers for a period of j six months.

Mr. Webb said flic latest returns from the placement officers fmotigliout New Zealand showed that at November 10 the vacancies notified through the State Placement Service totalled 365. Seventy were for inexperienced and the rest. 295. for experienced men. By far the larger proportion of vacancies notified continues to bo in the North Island dairying centres. The total number of available workers was 627.

“Wo are roughly short of about 200 men experienced in farm work,” said Mr. Webb. “The usual steps have been taken to acquaint centres holding labour surpluses of vacancies in less favoured diitricts.”

He said it was apparent that vacancies for experienced men in the North Island centre remained unfilled in considerable numbers. There were inexperienced men much in excess of the vacancies available. In the South Island there was a surplus of both experienced and. inexperienced men. In announcing the subsidy ofTer, he said iie would appeal to farmers to contact placement officers with the hope of getting suitable inexperienced labour that could soon be made useful. So far as harvesting was concerned. the placement officer would make available men now employed on Scheme 13. The Public Works Department have been releasing and would release men to help in the harvest field.

“We realise the importance of speeding up production and making use of whatever labour is available to help in that direction," added Mr. Webb. “It is known that a considerable number of experienced farm workers are now in camp and their replacement, particularly in the northern districts, has created real difficulty, but if the best use is made of the inexperienced men available, many of the hardships felt by some farmers would disappear.”