MOTOR INDUSTRY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 174, 25 July 1942, Page 6

MOTOR INDUSTRY

CENSUS OF MANPOWER

"GETTING DOWN TO BEDROCK" (0.C.) DUNEDIN, this day. A census is to be taken of manpower in the motor industry throughout New Zealand. This was announced by Mr. C. R. Edmond, secretary of the New Zealand Retail Motor Traders' Association, in the course of an address at the annual meeting of the Southland branch of the association. He said that census papers were to be sent to members of the association asking them to state the number of men on their staffs in September, 1939, and the number at the present time. This would enable the Government to decide whether any more men could be spared from the industry. In his opinion, the industry was getting down to bedrock so far as manpower was concerned, and if more men were taken a number of establishments would have to close. Mr. Edmond added that the manpower utilisation committees, which had been established in the verious centres throughout New Zealand, would be a big help to the armed forces appeal boards in dealing with cases that came before them. "The motor mechanic is to-day one of the most important units of society and one o ; the most important men in the army, and unfortunately we have not got enough of them," added Mr. Edmond. Mr. Edmond urged that no man who is a motor mechanic should be employed on anything but motor mechanics, and said he had tried to impress this viewpoint on the army. Stressing the importance of motor transport in modern warfare, he said it had been reported that no man could go into Rommel's Afrika Korps unless he knew mechanics. One of the major problems facing the Allies to-day was caused by the fact that they did not appreciate the tremendous potentialities of mechanised warfare, and they still had to make up a lot of leeway.

Mr. Edmond referred to the vast war effort of the United States motor industry, which was now turned over entirely to the manufacture of armaments and munitions.