The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1917. MORE WEAKNESS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 March 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1917. MORE WEAKNESS.

In bis recent statement of the Government's policy, the acting-Premier said that the Efficiency Board had been asked to deal with the question of soldiers' farms in cases in which the owners were unable to make satisfactory arrangements. He was not yet in a position to say anything regarding fce purchase of farms by the Government, but action was being taken in regard to supervision. The Efficiency Board had been authorised to appoint as many honorary expert advisers as they deemed necessary to assist the board. The appointment of trustee boards also had been authorised. Although there was no guarantee that the labor would be provided, it would be part of the duties of the board to so organise industries thai farms taken over would be supplied with the necessary labor. The trustee boards, if necessary, would appoint a supervisor for each farm, and arrangements for keeping and auditing accounts had already been made. It might be necessary to bring women in. There were no compulsory powers at present to send men where they would be wanted, and whether it would be necessary to obtain such powers by legislation he could not say. The statement is so like all that has been done in connection with the war problems. There is no attempt at outlining a comprehensive selieme for saving the country's production. There is an entire absence of deiinitenesj arid, resolution. There is no desire evinced to grapple with th» question of manpower. That, forsooth, must be left to the Efficiency Board. It is a splendid institution is the Efficiency Board, from the Government's point of view. ' It serves as a buffer, and can take all the kicks and none of the ha'pence. But the Government is careful not to endow it with any plenary powers. The Board can only advise and make recommendations to the Government. Questions of policy are entirely beyond the province of the buffer Board. Clothed with the necessary powers, and made more representative of the farming industry, the Board is, we frankly acknowledge, capable of helping in the solution of the grave problems before the country at the present time, but constituted as it is, we can only regard it as a convenient buffer for a weak and incapable Government. The setting up of trustee boards, supervisors, and all the rest of it that the acting-Premier glibly speaks of is of no practical use in a community like Taranaki. What Taranaki wants to Know is, does the Government intend lo continue or discontinue the production of dairy produce! That is the point at issue. As things have been going, the time is near when production must be considerably curtailed, if not stopped altogether. If production is to continue, then recruiting of farmers must be greatly modified and labor organised as much as possible to work the farms, dairying consists practically of all labor. Supervisors and trustees are a superfluity. It is hard persistent work, from daylight to dark, seven days a week. for nine months a year, not only for the farmer, but for his wife, children, and anyone else on the place. "Organise the women folk," say the Efficiency Board, but they little know what the women folk have to do on dairy farms in normal times. With few exceptions, they are working harder now than ever in order to allow their sons to go to the war. They get no credit for this, o£ course, from those who live in the centres, and therefore know all about the easy times and fat cheques of the dairymen. Nor do the women receive a fair deal from the Government in the matter of taxation. Their cstra effort

only increases the farmer's taxes, for no allowance is made- for a wife's labor. Were she, however, to work for a neighfor, the sapient Taxation Department would allow the charge. This is a point that, we hope, will be kept in mind by our members of Parliament, who should lose no time in having such a grave injustice remedied. To return to Sir James Allen's statement. If the Government is not prepared to seek compulsory powers to utilise labor for essential industries, lie should at once stop further recruiting of farm labor, that is if we are to maintain the supply of foodstuffs. It is a ease of foodstuffs or men. The Government cannot expect both, unless other labor is conscripted for dairying. Not that we expect conscripted labor to perform the work nearly as well as it is being done now, but it would certainly help production and in time improve. We are told every day that the food supply will be short in all the Allied countries, and that every ounce of food must be conserved and efforts made to increase supplies; yet we see this spineless, incapable Government of ours doing nothing to put the dairying industry, one of the most essential of our industries, oh a footing that will enable it to live beyond the present year. The Efficiency Board cannot do much to improve the position whilst its hands are tied. If the Government is afraid of the problems its supineness and procrastination have brought about, then lei it hand over full authority to the Board, strengthen its personnel, and allow it to utilise the country's resources to the fullest and best advantage.