SUBSIDISED LABOUR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20128, 23 December 1939, Page 8

SUBSIDISED LABOUR

FARMERS DISAPPROVE BURDEN ON INDUSTRY The No, 4B scheme, by which men are subsidised by the Government for farm development work, was the subject of considerable discusison at the monthly meeting in Dunedin of the Otago Provincial Council ol' the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. A motion advocating modification of the scheme with the aim of enabling farmers to take full advantage of it was heavily defeated. The meeting carried the following motion:—“While we recognise that the No. 4B scheme is of assistance to some farmers in enabling them to get some useful work done that would otherwise be neglected, as a permanent policy it is utterly unsound, and if it should be developed and extended it will ultimately impose a crushing burden on the exporting industries, some sections of which are at present perhaps reasonably sound.” Discussion began after tbe Dunedin placement officer, Mr. T. A. White, had explained the No. 4F scheme, designed to advance the training of farm labourers.

“Many farmers are doing what they and their families can do and leaving the rest undone,” one member said. “Farm labourers cannot earn the money that the farmer has to pay them. Farmers are finding experienced labour expensive enough, and they cannot consider inexperienced labour. It is not generally appreciated that inexperienced labour can do great damage to teams and implements.”