Excessive Enlistments

Levin Daily Chronicle, 27 February 1917, Page 3

Excessive Enlistments

■-—■— ACTION URGENTLY NEEDED.

Afc a meeting of the Advisory Board of the war Relief Federation, Mr J. J. Dougall (Christchurch) moved:— "That 'the Advisory IBoard 'begp to call the attention of the Government to. the grave economic danger which will result from excessive enlistment of men employed in primary industries. The board also desires to bring under notice of the 'Government the hardship inflicted by practically compelling men drawn in the ballot to dispose of their properties, and is of opinion that iGovernment ..action is urgently necessary to secure the retention of such -properties to the own. ers, and to prevent exploitation by unscrupulous persons." •Mr. Dougall said it was pretty clear now that our primary industries were being affected. They would be very seriously affected soon. The area under crop had fallen from 329,-07 acres last year to '218,877 acres this year and in the season coming an even' smaller area would be under crop because labor was scaroe, and farmers were being conscripted. Men were forced to sell by the attitude of the military Iserviice boards, and who bought were wealthy men, ineligible for service, who simply added to their own cofiers at the expense of the men who were forced to go to

the war. Last year we produced 7,108,000 bushels of vheat and 7-653,-000 bushels of oats. This year we grew 2,000,000 bushels; lees wheat and 2,000,000 less oats. This Reason we had not produced enough grain for f our own use. Racdrig, he observed, ' still was permitted, and a large num--1 ber of men were engaged in racing— ' and a racehorse consumed from fifteen • to sixteen pounds o foats per day. • Mr. 3>ougall's motion was carried. B—W»1