25 SEPTEMBER 1915, Page 13

AGRICULTURE AND THE SHORTAGE OF LABOUR.

[To Tss EDITOR Or TEE " SPECTATOR."]

SIE,—Al this critical time it is more important than it ever was in our country's history that we should secure in good condition all the produce that the land can be induced to yield. The difficulty on many farms is the shortage of labour. If the farms are to be cultivated, no more hands must be withdrawn. In normal times the farmers in our parts only just employed sufficient labour to work the land efficiently and profitably, tend the stock, and gather in the harvest. Several hands have left for national service from this estate, consequently we are short of labour. On this small estate I have four cottages empty needing efficient workpeople—a condition of affairs which I have never known before on this estate. If the land is to remain in cultiva- tion, it is essential that no more men should leave. There are on this estate six farmers' sons and two nephews working on the respective farms, and I am quite sure there are no eight men in all the country who work harder than these clean-living, conscientious young men. In my opinion, these eight young men are serving their country as truly as any eight young men serving at the front or working in ammunition factories. These young men cannot be replaced, and if they were all to leave then some nine hundred acres of rich land would be considerably lowered in yield, if not thrown out of cultivation, and, moreover, the fathers of these lads would, I am afraid, be obliged to throw up their farms. At the present time there is no single man working on this estate who could be more usefully employed in serving the country. As regards estate workmen, all of them are over the military age ; three of these men rent small dairy holdings from me. These men work for the estate on wages five days per week and retain. Saturday for the work on their holdings. I find the arrangement to enable the small-holders to have Saturday at home an excellent one, satisfactory to me, to the men, and to the efficient working of the holding.—