ii6 FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE 



war, as many are aware, this state of affairs, with 

 the growing demands on the part of the labourer 

 for an amelioration of his conditions of life, quite 

 justifiable demands on his part, had been becoming 

 increasingly difficult for the farmer, and a serious 

 problem for the country. But if the farmer has been 

 feeling it increasingly difficult to obtain the extra 

 labour he requires at certain seasons, what would 

 be the experience of the new afforestation schemes 

 if the labour required had to depend on forestry 

 alone to provide it with whole-time work ? For the 

 considerable staff which would be required at certain 

 seasons it would be impossible to provide* whole- 

 time avork, and consequently a wage, throughout 

 the year. The bulk of the heavier forestry work is 

 done during the winter and early spring — i.e., when 

 the weather is most unfavourable for farm work. If 

 the afforestation schemes were to rely solely or even 

 to a great extent on temporary imported migrant 

 labour, it is extremely doubtful whether it would be 

 possible to recruit this labour over any long period of 

 years. It would not be a satisfactory type of labour, 

 nor would the afforestation schemes be likely to catch 

 hold in the country or awaken interest in the locaU- 

 ties in which they were undertaken. It is vital 

 that such interest should be aroused and maintained. 

 In order to stop the serious emigration from the 

 rural districts before the war a remedy was sought 

 in the Small Holding Act, under which individuals 

 were to be settled on small areas of land which they 

 were to cultivate theniselves. The war has raised 

 the small holding into a position of the first unport- 



