LABOUR FOR FARMS

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1940, Page 2

LABOUR FOR FARMS

40-hour week aspect

INGLEWOOD DISCUSSION Why not abolish the 40-hour week and the farm labour problem would solve itself, whereas the Government was subsidising married labour on farms and the farmers were being calied upon to pay extra taxation to meet the cost? asked Cr. W. R. Moir, when a reply was received from tbe Hon. P. C. Webb. Minister of Labour, to the Inglewood County Council's representations on the difflculty of securing suitable labour to enable the council to put into operation a scheme for the clearing of smaller farm areas from noxious weeds on a subsidy basis for the purpose of increasing production. "The Government is going to hold to the 40-hour week at all costs," remarked a councillor. Demands for labour for industry generally, for ordinary seasonal farm work, and for scheme 4b jobs had resulted in only those men not fully fit, or those whose circumstances would not permit acceptance of distant work, remaining on scheme 13b, stated Mr. Webb in notifying the council that he was interested in its scheme and would do all he could to meet the difflculty experienced in securing suitable labour. The same position had been reached in most parts of the North Island, and' it seemed likely that difficulties in obtaining 100 per cent. fit labour would continue to a large extent during the spring and summer, said Mr. Webb. The district office, however, would be advised that the council's scheme was to receive at least equal consideration with scheme 4b and preference to any scheme 13 work in the allocation of available labour, and if the men were able to return home each night then men not available for distant work owing to faulty circumstances could be placed. Encouraging on Paper. While on paper the ftgures of available labour, which included a number of State workers under various departments available for transfer to farm work, certainly seemed most encouraging, the real difflculty was that a large majority of the men available were married, whereas farmers generally required single men, the Minister stated. By now practically all single men, some hundreds in number, had been detailed to farm work, and difflculty was being experienced in encouraging farmers to accept married men, even though not required to have married accommodation lmmediately available, Mr. Webb stated in pointing out that a special allowance was payable to married men separated from their families. There was no doubt that the accommodation factor was the real problem, and it was now being tackled enthusiastically by the Government, said Mr. Webb. Apart from the Rural Housing Act provisions, both single and married quarters were available on a rentsl basis and the construction of married quarters was being pushed as fast as possible. If farmers could only be persuaded to apply for accommodation there should be no difflculty in securing suitable married labour, which would undoubtedly go a long way towards a permanent solution of the farmers' labour difficulties., They had been promised equal consideration with scheme 4b, which had now gone off the market, stated Cr. G. Gibson. The council would have to drop the scheme uhder the circumstances, he was afraid, as it would be useless to attempt to go on with it, said Mr. W. R. Moir, who pointed out that when ragwort eradication started all the available labour would have to be utilised there. The opinion that when the ragwort work was completed the men engaged might be retained and employed on the proposed subsidy clearance work, was expressed. by the treasurer, Mr. T. A. Jones. That was the idea of the scheme, Cr. Gibson remarked. There were very few men about, said the chairman (Cr. F. Lawrence). .