1914 Drought
A severe drought occurred in South Australia during 1914 (through to June 1915). It may have caused the farm apprenticeship scheme to fail, had all future shipments not been cancelled in August 1914 anyway, due to the outbreak of World War I.
As this graph shows, 1915 still holds the record for South Australia's worst annual wheat yield. Bear in mind that wheat crops covered 89% of the state's arable land at this time.
South Australian Wheat Production (Tonnes/Hectare), 1861-2007
Next lowest yield to 1915 was in 1897 (0.111 tonnes/hectare)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
As explained here, if a boy emigrated under the Immigration Act 1911, the onus was on him, rather than the State Government, to find employment on South Australian farms for at least 12 months after his arrival. In contrast, the Government was responsible for finding placements for boys who signed a 3 year apprenticeship agreement under the Immigration Act Amendment Act 1913.
As the bad season progressed, and eventually crops failed, farmers began to dismiss their staff. Boys employed under the 1911 Act had no protection from dismissal. While Immigration Officer Edgar Field tried to help them find new placements were possible, there was little demand for agricultural labourers.
Field's priority was the apprentices employed under the 1913 Act. The Government agreed to suspend some boys' apprenticeship agreements and reduce their wages, just to keep them housed and fed (see Simpson, Bickerstaff and McQueen's stories). Some were transferred to the Department of Agriculture's Experimental Farms and to the South East, which fared better than most regions.
Unemployment was probably a factor in at least some boys' decision to enlist.
See the Bureau of Meteorology's Climate Education website for further information on the 1914 drought and subsequent recovery.
Low River Murray levels 1914. Apprentice James Pettigrew worked at
Berri for Harry Benson Martin (who Martin's Bend is named after).
Note this was before the locks were installed.
(Source: River Reflections: Berri 75 Years from 1911 to 1986)
