FIRST TIME HE'D HEARD OF IT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 59, 2 December 1937, Page 3

FIRST TIME HE'D HEARD OF IT

Our Qwn Correspondenf.)

Men Leaving Publie Works for Farms SURPRISE EXPRESSED

(From

PALMERSTON N., This Day. "This is the first time I have heard1 of good men leaving publie works to go farming," declared Mr. W. Morrison, a member of the Main Highways Board, when the question of labour was being discussed at a meeting the board held in Palmerston North yesterday with a delegation from the Aultomobile Assoeiation (Manawatu). Mr. N. H. Maekie,. for the assoeiation, had suggested that just as there was seasonal work on farms, so thpre was seasonal work on the highways. The conditions prevailing on some roads were such that work could be done at half the cost in the summer time than in the winter. He referred to the reformation of roads in heavy clay country in particular. It was important, he said, that if the motorist was going to be asked to pay for this work, it was only fair that they should point out the savings.to be made by doing the work in the summer time. At this time of the year men were leaving the road works to go shearing and harvesting. A way out would be' to get more work done on ,the contract system. The deputy-chairman of the board, Mr. A. J. Baker, stated that if they could consider the interests of the job, what Mr. Mackie had said was quite correct, but the policy of the Government was to keep men in employment and it was also the policy of the Government that men should be made available for f arm w.ork, No Government would stand up to criticism if it kept men on publie works and prevented tkem from going to farms, and, having that in view, the Publie Works ■ Department found it necessary to have a full complement of men working in the witer time. There was no avoiding that and the best that could be done was to avoid working in the winter time in locations where the work Would he inefficiently done. Areas were selected as far as possible for winter work. Mr. Morrison said the general rule was for faTmers to complain of the meh leaving the farms for publie works and as far as he was concerned personally, he . would go where there were befter wages. The farmers were being left with the inferior men. It was just as important to keep down the farmers' 1 costs— .and . perhaps more important— [than the costs of publie works,