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ENLISTMENT OF FARME?S.:
WARNING BY LIGISLATOBS.
GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO SONm.
THING.
Yesterday.afternoon Mders. S. Stubbs and
Alec Thomson, M's.L.A., made a joint strta
ment for publication concerning the enlist
ment of farmers in the A.LF. Lhey-pointed
out. that many farmers-married men-sad
signed the census cards in the affirmative
believing that they would not be called
upon until" all the available single omen
had been called up. However, they now
found that the authorities were calling them
in fast. In the. opinion of the legislators
th;e practice was bad, and more discrimi
nation should. be exercised. Yesterday they
sought the Premier to enter a protest but
were inable to obtain an interview. They
were referred to the Acting Minister for
Lands' (Mr. Rufus Underwood), but came
away complaining that he did not seem
to realise the seriousness of, the position
and was not disposed to move in the mat
ter. They then sent the following tele
gram' to the Minister for Defence:
"'We desire, to enter a strong. protest
as members of the agricultural districts:in
the State Assembly against the methods
prevailing here of calling up married, far
mers before -exhausting the list of single
available men; please reply."
They point out that when these men
who have left their holdings return they
will be put to the expense of from three
to five shillings per acre in clearing the
land of suckers that will grow upon -it' in
the meantime. In the ,Nyabing district,
pointed our Mr. Thomson. 30 men had
gone. On a low average each, man held
300 acres, so that 9,000 acres have been
thrown out of cultivation. A retur4j of £2
per acre could'have been expected; there
fore, in the small Nyabing arce alone there
would be £18,000 less wealth produced than
should, be, owing to' the exodus.' Yet
we are told by the Imperial 'authorities
that it was the "silver bullet which was
going to win the war. In the Kukerin
area-rcited by Mr. Stubbs--50 miles east
of Wagin. 100 'men had enlisted. They
thought it was about time that the local
State Gboernment awoke to what was Pap*
pening in the agricultural areas'to-day.
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