CONSCRIPTION OF LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1917, Page 5

CONSCRIPTION OF LABOR.

I RESOLUTION OF SOUTH TAKAHAKI \ FARMERS. i* a At a representative meeting of Hawera ?' . farmers last week, culled by the Egmont A and P. Association, Mr. J. E. Corrigan moved that the Government he asked to conscript all labor throughout New Zea- , land, aiul distribute it to the best ad- 1 j vantage amongst. industries absolutely * , .necessity to a prosecution of the war. '' In sneaking to the motion, Mr. Corri- ,; gaii reminded them that recently they • had been on the verge of a wharf laborers' strike, and there was a grave danger ' hanging over them the whole time. It was now up to the Government, to make itself felt; they had the necessary power j and machinery to organise labor throughout Xew Zealand, and the sooner i they organised it the better. We had to ( a win the war, and to do that all the „ country's available forces should be em- " ployed to the very best purpose. There j „ were men unlit to go to the front who j should be retained for home service and j utilised in the production of neecssary , articles. Certain industries, too, that < were non-essential, could be cut out , altogether in the meuntima. Mr. A. Hunter seconded the resolution j s and mentioned that ho had held views ( t similar to Mr. Corrigan's for a consider- , 0 able time, and had expressed them at ■ !■ the annual meeting of the Farmers' Coop. lie had a certain amount of sym- •. pathv with the Military Boards of Ap- , i- peal; they did not understand the posi- •- tion. and gave expression to remarks n that were born of ignorance. A man ). born blind could not be expected to understand the beauty of flowers, and so these men, being quite unacquainted with the class of farming that obtained here, could not be expected to understand tinwork of a small dairy farm or small hill sheep farms. They did not comprehend that labor had already been greatly depleted, and it was now most difficult to get through the work nt all. The rulings of the Board and statements made had a very unsettling effect upon the people of the district, and they found both dairy farmers and sheep farmers trying to m>ll ■. their places. That was going to lime' a bad ell'et generally. These men «.v unsettled and were not looking for war 1 or preparing for next season's work r- as to produce as much as posi'. 1 ) 1 .?. There ' :y was the probability of being crJlcd up | 21' always before them, and naturally they it were anxious to sell out .it a time that of best) suited their business. The motion was, carried with but one dissenti^