LURE OF THE TOWN.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1915, Page 9

LURE OF THE TOWN.

■»■ FARMERS AND LABOR. A DIFFICULT PROBLEM. (By our Special Reporter.) A. very interesting address on fanner? and the labor problem, by Mr. W. D. Hunt, manager for Wright, Stephenson and Co., of Invereargill, and a member of (.he Board of Agriculture, was read by Mr J. S. Harkness, secretary of the National Dairy Association to a good attendance of farmers at l'almcrslon North. In the absence of the president, Mr. Morton, who had to journey to' Wellington to wait on the Premier, Mr. Fisher was voted to the chair. In opening, Mr. Hunt stated that he had often heard farmers who had no experience in business matters outside their farming transactions when discussing the problem,of the country, describe town people as drones, and middlemen living on the farmers, and state that all would be well if a large section generally could be done away with. On the other hand, he had heard town people who knew nothing of agricultural and pastoral matters, when discussing the problems of the Dominion, state that all would be well if the farmers could only be taught to farm properly. His experience was thaf farmers probably understood their business just as well as business men and towns-people generally understand theirs. Each class was a necessary complement of the other provided a proper balance is maintained. It was an acknowledged fact, he said, that the question of how best to meet the labor requirements of farmers >s now a problem requiring the attention of those interested, and the lecturer contended that it was a question that must . be solved if tho agricultural and pastoral interests of the Dominion are to progress, to the extent so much desired The people of New Zealand were almost entirely an agricultural and pastoral community. "We ate," he Baid, "one of the most purely agricultural and pastoral communities on the face of the globe. The prosperity of the whole country and everyone in it depends upon the prosperity of the agricultural and pastoral interests, and the prosperity of these can be largely advanced if an adequate supply of efficient farm labor is obtainable." Ho had said that townspeople and country people were eacli the necessary complement of the other provided a proper balance was maintained. It was just here where the trouble lies. A proper balance between town and country population was not being maintained. During the last twenty-five years there had been a great spread of settlement throughout the Dominion. Large areas of unimproved country had been broken in and converted into farms. Conditions of life too, in the country had improved immensely.' Roads were better; railway communication bad improved; postal and telephone service had been bettered almost beyond comparison. With all the spread of settlement; with this ever-increasing prosperity and continually improving conditions' that country dwellers enjoy, one would naturally expect to see an increasing tendency amongst the people of the Dominion iii favor of country pursuits; one would expect to see the proportion of country dwellers increasing as compared with_ town dwellers. This, however, was not the case. The tendoncy was entirely the other way. At the census of 181)1, out of every hundred people living in the Dominion, 57 lived in the country and 43 in the country towns. At the census of 1011 the proportions were 4!U in the country to 50J in the towns.- If a census , were taken again to-day it would almost certainly be found that the proportions would be not less than 51 in tiie towns to not more than 40 .in the country. Sinco ISOI had been added 201,830 people to our town population, and only ]82,0!)2 to the country. In other words, to get back to the 1801 proportion, no less than 88,047 people should be moved out of the towns and placed in the country. THE REASON. What was the reason of this stale of affairs? Was it that in spite of the prosperity in the country the towns were more prosperous still? Mr. Hunt did not think so. The average country dweller was more prosperous than the average town dweller. Among the farmers there was an ever unsatisfied demand for male and female labor; many farmers had had to change their methods of farming because they could not get the necessary labor. In the towns there was an over-supply of unskilled and casual labor, and it wa« the intermittent nature of employment that was often a plea by Labor leaders for higher wages awards'. Often, when there was unemployment in the cities the country \ districts wera starving for labor. It was essary in the interests of tho Dominion that a remedy be found. Children were 'being brought up in the town, with the street for their playground. They were 'brought up with a knowledge of the pleasures of the town, without any knowledge of the pleasures of the country. WJien their turn came to seek employment they would prefer to get it in the surroundings to which they had been accustomed in their youth. They would find, when they came to get into the country that in all country matters ■ the country-bred person seemed to understand, as if by instinct, things they knew nothing of, and that in such matters they had to take second place with country-bred people. They did not like this, and returned to the surroundings to which they had been accustomed, even though it meant casual employment. MA.RMED EMPLOYEES. Ho was quite satisfied that the cause of the whole trouble was the entire absence of accommodation for married employees on the great majority of farms. There was a demand on farms for married couples, where the husband would , work on the farm and the wife, cook, but most often this demand was coupledywilh , a condition that there must not be. any en.'iini'liranees, i.e., there must be no ' children. What he meant by accommodation for married employees was cottages in which married employees could j live and where the wife had nothing to do but attend to her bouse and children. , The result of this want of aceommoda- , t'nin was that the average, single farm , employee, if he wished to gel married, , could not see milch prospect of doing so if he remained a farm employee, and so . was compelled to go to the nearest eoun- ; try township where he could rent a . house, fn most eases he had to give i up farm labor and find employment I somewhere near where he lived. Tins ! man and his wife and family were thus lost to the country and 'became permanent! y added to the ranks of town dwel!- ~,-; ' Probably thev would have profer- ■ ved to li'ivc remained in the country, I !„,t, their only chance nf doing this under J Undent conditions wonld.be to put off ■jjl„.'„. marriage until the man had earned 1 sufficient money to acquire a bit ol land ' and Mart farming in a small way on Ins 1 own account. If an early marriage was 1 desired the, drift |o the towns was nceess,rv in order to gel :v commn,;ation. '' ",\'h- lhuil went on to f'at « ?<> 01 ' ! three-roomed cottage could be erected f ! f o r £2OO to £250. and a, four-roomed 1 i "or sav £3OO. The money could easily ] i '!, O arranged for. It w""W not all be ad- - ditmnnl' outlay, because the fanner- at = ..went bad to aeeomnioda e Ins single .- ! '. m „i„vces Including a fair rent tor l ' i Hie collate the cost to the farmer of the married employee would not be great-

or than that of a single employee, and >a married man v.'as much more efficient. Mr Jlnnt proceeded to supply illustrations from experiences of what lie had stated. -Farmer* who had tried the experiment of wetting cottages lead found the experiment pay them very we'll indeed, and wore continuing and extending the scheme. A continual supply of lalior was assured all the year round if the men were reasonably well treated. Having juaruied employees relieved the farmer's w'fe, often very much overworked, of the necessity of cooking, etc., for a s Mingle employee, who in most cases -was accommodated in the House, and the children of the employees were brought u)i in mral surroundings, and grew to love the country. The nature of their environment also gave them a superior physical and more vigorous mental equipment. It was said that amongst the .financial men of Wall street, New York, 75 per ce.'.t. were country-bred boys. The experience of the company with which lie was connected was that the country, bred boys went further than the. average city-Hired boys, and that a larger proportion rose to responsible, positions. They seemed to have the qualities necessary "to get there." Mr. Hunt then dealt with the matter j from the point of view of the State, and lie proved conclusively that the advan- J tage to the State was considerable.' He deprecated going to the Oovernment for assistance, and he said it would be better 1 if the farmers took the question of fin- ; ance up amongst themselves. The <iO- i vernmen't at the same- time would have I to deal in a larger way than they were j doing at present with the question of ', homes for town workers, and this would be quite a big enough problem without tackling the agricultural labor question, ( which he- thought farmers were quite capable, of doing themselves. If town laborers could be housed on areas large enough to enable thorn to have sufficient ground around them to grow vegetables or fruit, and also keep poultry, it would oa.;c the. lot and improve the prospects of town laborers to a great extent. Town laborers, to enable them to be housed with the area be bad suggested attached to their cottages, must be moved out to the country, away from the congested area, and to enable them to do this and at the same time work in 'the towns, rrtpid and cheap transportation was required. This is a problem that the Government will yet have to deal with, and although it may cost a good deal the advantages that' the workers themselves and their children -would derive and through them the State as a whole, j .would bo so great that it would, he was sure, -pay the cost many times over. ' IMr. J. 13. Marx stated that he war satisfied that the erection of cottages would overcome the difficulty to a great extent. It would pay a farmer far better to do without something else—even a motor-car. Personally he always employed married labor, and it was strange that the farming community had not adopted the system more largely much sooner. Mr. Boss said the crux lay in the fact that fanners must make the conditions in the country compare more favorably with those in the towns. (Providing houses did not seem to be a complete solution to tho difficulty. They n must make the remuneration sufficiently large to compete (with the attractions of the!" town and keep their employees ni the country for all time. He pointed out an inconsistency in. the paper, inasmuch as Mr. 'Hunt himself admitted that he made tho conditions of bis office so attractive that he drew from the country the very lads he. said should be induced to remain there. In moving a vote of thanks, Mr. Moss (Ekotahuna) referred to the different parts of the .country life in regard to education. Many farmers in the backblocks had sold out their farms simply to come into tho towns to educate their children. Ho did not think that the erection of houses would overcome the difficulty. Employees in the country were isolated, whereas in the town there were attractions, picture shows, etc., every evening. He thought the position mW'it lw improved if they made conditions more attractive, and he suggested that they might consider the establishment nf'clubs in the country villages. Thev should also stviko for tlio country employee being' able to obtain a home of his own with his own plot of ground. The chairman characterised it as a d\«"WP to the farming community that in almost every advertisement for mar-. Hod couples tiie condition "no encumbrance" should be stipulated. (Ap { ,)h MrTHunt was accorded a nearly vote ( of thanks. ' _ i