ORDERED BACK TO CAMP

Southland Times, Issue 24891, 3 November 1942, Page 4

ORDERED BACK TO CAMP

MEN RELEASED FOR SHEARING (Special) DUNEDIN, November 2. In spite of ministerial assurances given during the past few weeks to primary production councils throughout New Zealand that shearers and high country musterers, irrespective of military grading, would be released from the Army for shearing and mustering, advice has now been received by the local authorities that this instruction has been withdrawn and men whose Army grading is No. 1 will not be released. Some of the men who were released and were already engaged in mustering and shearing operations have received instructions to return to camp immediately. , The Dunedin office of the Otago Primary Production Council was inundated today with telephoned inquiries from farmers whose arrangements have been completely upset by the alteration in the instructions and who are very critical over the failure of the Government to redeem promises made so frequently by Ministers during the last few weeks. “Members of the Production Council are very much con ” cerned about the whole position, ’ stated the chairman of the council, Mr A. C. Leary. “These conflicting instructions undermine all confidence in the work of primary production committees and councils. ... . . . , “Accepting the various Ministerial assurances at their face values, the council passed on to farmers instructions it had received only to have them countermanded from Wellington almost before the ink was dry,” he said. We appreciate that the country is at war and that we cannot expect normal conditions to prevail, but I think we have the right to expect that when policy matters such as the release of shearers have once been decided upon they should not be subject to constant alteration. Unless we can expect reasonable consistency in these matters we will have chaos.” On behalf of the Primary Production Council Mr Leary made a strong protest to the Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes, the Hon. J. G. Barclay.