FARM LABOUR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 2, 25 September 1937, Page 12

FARM LABOUR

—Press Aasociation. )

Difficult Position in Southland

(By Telegraph-

INVERGARGILL, Last Night. "It takes the production of about 200 sheep to pay the wages of a man and a girl on iny farm, and in view of the diffteulty of obtaining suitable labqur, if may beeome a question whether it would not be better for me to aell those 200 sheep and do all the work myself," said Mr, R. Sini in the course of a diseussion on the shortage of farm labour at a meeting of the Southland, provinoial exeeutiv4 of .the Farmers' Union to-day. He eontended that a contiauation of the present position would inevitably lead to a drop in production, and said that the position was becoming partieularly acute, owing to the fact that a big nuntbcr of men had been attraeted away from farm work to public works, where the hours were shorteij and the wages higher. He had heard that a man was oJi'ering £4 a week for a teamster. The president (Mr. A. K. Johnston) said that recently there was one man offering for a position, and there were .15 farmers who required himIt was decided that a list of the farm labour available should be secured by the provincial oliice from the placement office, with ]iarticular« of the work the men were willing to under;-