GIRLS ON THE FARM

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 136, 30 January 1942, Page 16

GIRLS ON THE FARM

What The New Zealand Women’s Land Army Is Doing

ADY DIANA DUFF COOPER ¥ is devoted to pigs, if we are to believe a double-spread article, with illustrations, in a wellknown British monthly. There are pictures of Lady Diana looking at the pigs, feeding the pigs, even cleaning the pig-sty. And according to the writers, Lady Diana’s happiest moments are those spent close to the land, feeding the hens, hay-making, harvesting. There are more pictures of Lady Diana, not in sun-bonnet and dirndle, but in dungarees, against backgrounds of cowshed, pigsty, poultry-house. and stable. And she at least looks as if she’s enjoying it. If Lady Diana Cooper can do it we can. There is truth in her remarks about the lure of the land. There is something -much more basically satisfying about milking a cow than there is about banging a typewriter, and you get more of that sense of accomplishment from hoeing a dozen rows of cabbages than from perming a dozen heads of hair, ’or selling frocks to a dozen satisfied customers. So it is no wonder that the request for volunteers for the Women’s Land Army should have met with such an encouraging response. I was talking the other day to a friend of mine, who, though not a member of the Women’s Land Army, has spent the last year or so doing farm work. She

is not a farmer’s daughter. When I first knew her she was a typical city product. I could not imagine her anywhere but in the city. She had a flat of her own, a good secretarial position at five pounds a week, lots of friends, a fiair for clothes, and a sophisticated _ coiffure. The coiffure is now somewhat simpler, and her flair for clothes finds inadequate expression in a pair of muddy overalls. But she is very happy, far happier than she ever was in town. "Don’t you miss the money?" I asked her. "Two pounds a week and keep isn’t quite the same as five pounds." " Actually I’m much better off now" she replied. "It’s easy to spend five pounds a week in town, but now

I'm managing to save 30/- a week. But that’s really beside the point. I wouldn't go back to town for anything. "Of course you have to work hard, but it’s good work. And did you know that .Eileen was working on the same place? I think the only difficulty about taking a job on the land might be lack of congenial company, but you'll find that two of you can get jobs together. And that of course makes it much more fun. You Learn Quickly " We're both loving it. We didn’t know a thing about farming till we came out here, though I’d done quite a lot of gardening at home, But it’s wonderful how quickly you get into the way of things, "Tt’s a grand life if you’re moderately fit and like the open air. And there are two great compensations — wonderful food and sound sleep at night." As one who has spent at least one month every year on a farm I appreciate her comment on the food. I thought of roast lamb and of apple pie and cream. * And what do the farmers think about it? Do they take kindly to the idea of female labour on farms?" I asked. "The ones who haven’t tried it yet are not overwhelmingly keen, but I think they realise they'll have to come to it in time. Those who have are quite enthusiastic-at least our boss is. He thinks that women are easy to train and that they have a way with animals!" "What type of girl do you think best for general farm work? Almost anybody

with a certain amount of intelligence and strength?" "Yes, but I think it gives special scope to the girl who likes doing individual and personal work. There’s none of that every-day-the-same feeling about life on a farm. There’s always. something new." The Official View Joan’s little homily inspired me to find out something more about the newly-formed Women’s Land Army. I went to see the organiser for my particular district. "At present," she said, "we’re working in conjunction with the Placement Office. Farmers who wish to employ

women on their farms get in touch with the Placement Office and their applications are forwarded to us.,We then try to fill the vacancy in the most suitable way. "As you probably know, the Land Army is one branch of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary. The first work of the Land Army Division was the growing of vegetables in vacant lots in the city and suburbs, and these vegetables were used for the meals supplied. to soldiers by various city organisations, such as the Y.W.C.A, The vegetable growing was a great success, and we are naturally carrying on with that. But whereas the vegetable growing is a parttime activity undertaken by the girls in their spare hours after work, and in the week-ends, the organisation now aims at providing permanent jobs for those girls suited to country life as a means of helping out the farmer and aiding primary production. A_ well-organised ~women’s land army will be a powerful weapon for victory.

"The women of the Land Army will wear the ordinary WWSA uniform, except, I suppose, in working hours. I believe we provide them with overalls." Qualifications and Duties "Are there any regulations about volunteers for the Land Army?" "They: have to be over 18 and we expect a reasonable standard of fitness, I think we demand more qualifications from the farmers than from the volunteers. They have to produce references from three people before we'll allow our girls to go there, and we stipulate that there must be a man on_the place to do the heavy work, that a girl must have separate sleeping quarters, and must not be expected to do any housework apart from keeping her own room in order. Full laundry and bathing facilities must also be provided. I suppose it seems rather a slur upon the farmer to make all these regulations, but we must safe-. guard the interests of our girls." "Are there any regulations about a minimum wage?" "Yes, On a dairy farm wages range from 35/- to 42/6; for a general farm 30/- to 35/-. We've also drawn up a schedule of duties. On a sheep farm these include mustering, drafting and droving, tractor and team driving, and feeding of stock. And also the milking of house cows, the washing of utensils, gardening, tree-planting and painting. And hay-making, excluding certain heavier stacking operations. On a dairy farm the main duty is of course the milking, and apart from this there’s mainly painting, gardening, feeding and harvesting." Sheep-And Horses "And which type of farm do the girls prefer?" ‘ "Usually the sheep farm. Most of the girls who are keen on riding prefer the work, because mustering and droving provide such splendid opportunities for careering round on horseback. ® " Though we haven’t as yet established so very many girls on farms (we have had many applications from two or three girls who want to work together and this makes our task harder) I feel more than confident about the ones we have placed. I have heard glowing accounts of the arrangement, not only from the girls employed but also from farmers

who have employed them."

M.

B.