11 Feb., 1918.] Nhill Agricultural Society Competition. 11 



been exploited in the Nhill district, and it is one which is prominently 

 before us at the present time: I refer to the moit eflScient use of the 

 labour available. Agriculturists are faced with a serious labour shortao-e 

 — a shortage which is not likely to be alleviated for a considerable time 

 to come. Many of the prinoiplea that are so essential for success in 

 wheat-farming, and which have been advocated as improvementsi on 

 existing conditions, need extra labour for their accomplishment, and 

 already farmers on every side find great difficulty in maintaining their 

 usual area under crop. Some who have large areas are turning their 

 attention to sheep-farming, but thore who have smaller areas cannot 

 increase their present flocks without the growth of forage crops — a work 

 which also demands additional labour. 



The farming community is therefore faced with the necessity of either 

 reducing its wheat area, or lowering the quality of its work, and there- 

 fore its income, or else of utilizing available labour to better advantage : 

 Is there any practical way of doing this ? 



The man on the land used to managing labour is naturally rather 

 sceptical regarding any real improvement under present conditions; but 

 if he is looking for a panacea that will solve every labour problem, 

 he will be icertainly disappointed. However, by a careful study of his 

 particular labour problem, and the application to it of certain general 

 scientific principles that have been found to be universally true, he can 

 do much to relieve the present shortage of labour and materially augment 

 hin bank balance. 



Nhill farmers have learned to value the basic scientific wheat cultural 

 truths which form the ideal toward which efforts may be directed, and 

 which are modified by the farmer according to his particular condi- 

 tions; but the equally important, equally valuable, scientific labour 

 truths, which at the present time are but vaguely understood, when 

 formulated in clear, crystal form, will be equally as helpful. 



There is nothing wonderful or startling in the application of science 

 to labour in this way. Advantage is taken of the fact that in the per- 

 formance of any piece of work consisting of a number of subsidiary 

 operations, waste of effort is very apt to occur. This has been demon- 

 strated by careful investigation of a large number of cases. 



The principles that have been evolved from that investigation are 

 merely designed to discover the waste and eliminate it, and attempts 

 have been made to group many apparently different labour faults under 

 a common head, rendering them earder to detect and easier to eliminate 



These principles were first worked out in America, and applied with 

 success to large industries there, and now form an integral part of the 

 factory routine of the huge munition plants in Great Britain, and 

 America as well. Their value in the economic utilization of labour has 

 been immeasurable. It remains to review these principles and to see if 

 they are of any practical value in wheat-farming. 



The first basic principle is to seanch out the fJowest operation of any 

 series and to speed it up. 



For example : If in the operation of chaff-cutting, there are five men 

 on a cutter, and the pitcher is the slowest man, then the slowness not 

 only affects the pitcher, but affects the whole five, and the valuable plant 

 as well — the original fault becomes multiplied at least five times. 



