LABOUR REQUIREMENTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 15 October 1942, Page 2

LABOUR REQUIREMENTS

2850 WORKERS IN MARCH NELSON PRIMARY INDUSTRIES At a special meeting of the Nelson Primary Production Council this morning representatives of the various primary industries attended and explained their labour requirements. There were present: Messrs R. C. T. Raine (chairman). N.McConochie. A. R. Edwards. W. F. M. Ott. H. C. Beuke. A. E. Brough. J. R. McKellar, J. Pugh, D. I. Llewellin. D. M. Merry. K. J. Faimer, j J. H. Brunt, C. R. Sutton, and the secretary. Mr T. H. Robinson. After a full discussion it was estimated that the Nelson district’s labour requirements for tobacco, hops and pip fruits in March, the peak month, totalled 2850 workers, besides the growers. On the question of school holidays a report by a teacher showed that a large amount of useful farm work had been done last season by a team of schoolboys under the teacher. Mr Edwards suggested that if the schools in the hop-growing districts were closed in March the hop growers would have no need to worry about labour. Another suggestion was that the children be allowed to be absent from school at times when their parents wished to assist in the harvesting of any crop. It was decided to urge that Nelson primary schools be closed for the first three weeks in March and that selected pupils be released at the request of parents at other periods. It was suggested that the Christmas holidays should not be interfered with because labour was needed then in certain industries. Mr Brough mentioned that while attending a meeting of growers at the Hutt he had heard from a headmaster that 80 boys from the High School were going to Nelson to work in the holidays. He wondered who had approached them, and was of the opinion that all requests for labour should go through the council. It was stated that even with outside labour there would not be a surplus of pickers. The council decided to recommend raspberry growers to endeavour to finalise arrangements for Wellington .schoolboys to come to Nelson during the Christmas holidays.