In 1942, the British Columbia government considered bringing in agricultural workers from Alberta to alleviate the problem. In BC, 10,000 Japanese-Canadians produced 85% of the province's berry crop and with the attack on Pearl Harbour, British Columbia responded to a possible threat of Japanese invasion by interning the B.C. Japanese-Canadian population. The result was that in order to harvest these crops, 5,000 workers had to be found.
It was proposed that the "outside" workers [out of province], would first start in the Okanagan and pick the already ripened strawberries. They would then shift to picking raspberries, loganberries, hops and, afterwards, return to the Okanagan to pick fruit.
Dairymen were in short supply in the Fraser Valley and many small herds were given up, as it was not feasible to operate. Subsequently these herds were butchered or sold as Valley farmers struggled to locate an estimated 250 dairymen.
Although school children were considered as an alternative for picking berries, farmers did not consider this a satisfactory solution as they felt the children would find the work tedious. However, the provincial government did allow leading students the opportunity to leave school at the beginning of June to work in agriculture for the summer. Housewives, and daughters who had finished school, were considered as potential volunteers. By June 1943, the Chilliwack War Agricultural Production Committee was placing high school students with individual farmers. The charge for their labour was 40 cents an hour and in one local project the students set up 750,000 bean poles in one week.
In June 1942, the labour shortage was considered critical and the conscription of non-essential laborers became another alternative. These workers would be drawn from the work force not considered essential to the war effort.
City businessmen organized a "Save the Crops" campaign for hoeing and haying. Both business owners and their employees hoped to provide some relief for Chilliwack farmers. Weeks of rain had choked the cornfields with weeds and help was required for haying and silo-filling. The project was initiated at a Rotary Club Luncheon in late June 1942, and the resultant committee met with service club leaders, Kinsmen, Rotary, the Agricultural Association, Board of Trade and the local Legion branch. Under the guidance of Mayor T.T. McCammon the committee agreed to secure the office of the Board of Trade where farmers could phone to request labour assistance and to organize city volunteers.
Wages were set at a minimum of 35 cents an hour, and volunteers were encouraged to bring their own hoe or hay fork. It was further suggested that the wages paid would be donated to war charities. Both men and women worked hoeing the fields and men were further sought for haying.
A year later, the situation was acute and another volunteer program, "Field Fighters" was established. Volunteers were recruited from girls, 16 or over and boys, 15 or over. In addition, it was the program's desire that any able-bodied person register with the program to work healthfully over vacation periods. Similar help was required, as in 1942, to pick berries, harvest vegetables, hoe corn and other field crops and to assist with farm chores. Crop value in Chilliwack was estimated at $1,000,000 and the promoter's wrote, "every pound of food saved in harvest adds weight to the United Nations cause."
It was thought that workers in this campaign could earn up to $5.00 per day and transportation to and from the farms was provided. Registration for the program and other details could be obtained from the Chilliwack War Production Committee c/o the Board of Trade Office, Chilliwack. Chilliwack's radio station, CHWK assisted the program with details at 7:45 PM every Monday night on "Help Wanted".
The arrival of A-6 Canadian Engineers Training Centre to Chilliwack, in 1942, provided a bonus in 1943 when the army camp supplied off-duty soldiers to assist with haying. Any soldiers on 24, 48 or 96 hour passes who wished to work, could be made available. School buses were arranged to transport the men to the farms at a cost of 25 cents per man payable by the farmer. If there were not enough requests for labour that would fill the bus, the farmer could report to the camp to obtain the men. Arrangements were made by the farmers who requested the labourers before 5:00 PM on the day before. The farmer first obtained an authorization slip from the Board of Trade that would be presented at the camp upon his arrival. Off-duty soldiers would start work after 5:00 PM and were paid 50 cents an hour and board. William Robertson of Rosedale was hired as a full-time placement officer, with headquarters at the Board of Trade, to facilitate the farm labour placement program. On July 20, 1943, local farmers employed over thirty soldiers to assist in the hayfields. Requests were made from Sardis, Rosedale and East Chilliwack with most farmers requesting four men.
Soldiers were not the only resource for farm labour and conscientious objectors were employed on local dairy farms in June 1943 for the first time. The first three men employed as permanent labour assisted with haying, hoeing and milking. Two of these men came from the conscientious objector's camp near the Chilliwack River and a third from the Green Timbers Forestry Camp. The dairymen paid $50.00 per month to the Chilliwack War Agricultural Production Committee, and further provided the men with board. The wage however was broken down into $25.00 to the employee and $25.00 sent to Selective Service that was then sent to the Red Cross.
However, there were times when farm labour could provide as a pool to other work forces. Shortages of labour in high priority war industries led the Dominion-Provincial Emergency Farm Labour Service to actively seek out farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers who could be spared to work in these priority industries during the winter months. Applications could also be sent to the Department of Agriculture, National Selective Service Offices.
The shortages in farm labour might be best evidenced by the dairy farm of Peter Mundreon of Chilliwack Central Road. By 1944, Mundreon's farm had been severely affected as his nine sons had joined the armed forces. He and his wife and daughter sold the farm and moved to Vancouver where Mr. Mundreon worked for the National Harbour Board.
Victory Gardens and slogans such as "Dig for Victory" actively promoted the need for farm labour and encouraged individuals to make up food shortages by becoming their own gardener. It was programs such as these and labour initiatives across Canada that the crops were brought in and families were able to become their own grocer. This however, was only one area of agriculture that was effected by the war effort. Progress was made throughout the war years in the care of animals and standards for the production of foodstuffs to the military. The farmer was the "Captain" in Canada's land army, and the home front of importance to the maintenance of stable morale both at home and overseas.
