DAIRY WORKERS SCARCE

Southland Times, Issue 24870, 9 October 1942, Page 4

DAIRY WORKERS SCARCE

ACUTE SHORTAGE IN FACTORIES Extreme difficulty has been experienced by Southland dairy factory managers in securing the services of enough assistants for the present season.. It is expected that the difficulty will be overcome within the next week by the withdrawal of a number of experienced factory workers from military camps. During the meeting with the former Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes (Mr W. J. Polson) at Dunedin a fortnight ago, Mr A. L. Adamson, secretary of the Southland Council of Primary Production, informed the Minister that one Southland dairy factory had had to turn suppliers’ milk away because there were not enough assistants available in the factory. The Minister promised to take urgent action to remedy the position. Mr Adamson said yesterday that he had been referring to the Edendale dairy factory, where the position had been so serious that milk was actually sent back from the factory on the morning of the deputation to the Minister. Extra assistants had been found for that factory. Throughout Southland dairy factories were short of hands, Mr Adamson continued. He had received urgent requests from the managers of three factories to endeavour to find assistants, and he was dealing with those cases, but he knew there were also other factories in which the shortage of labour was acute. He had been informed that as many as 73 assistants were required and were not immediately obtainable. The supply of milk was increasing steadily and the position was rapidly becoming more acute. In reply to an inquiry last night, the man-power officer (Mr S. C. Bingham) stated that he had received a number of applications for dairy factory assistants. The position was acute at the moment, but he 'had made application for the withdrawal of experienced men from military camps, and he expected that the position would be greatly improved in about a week. There should then be enough workers available to meet the requirements of the factories.