LABOUR SHORTAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 274, 26 February 1941, Page 5

LABOUR SHORTAGE

SCHEME 13 DISMISSALS

REFUSAL TO TAKE WORK

The labour situation in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty districts is not considered serious, but there is a definite shortage of skilled workers, stated Mr L. H. Armstrong, Placement Officer for the Bay of Plenty recently. There was still sufficient unskilled labour offering to fill demands, almost all of those in that class being over the age at which volunteers were accepted for the army. The demand for labour for farms had dropped and there were now only :J0 vacancies compared with 72 at the height of the dairying season, he continued. At the same time it had been necessary to limit the number of 4B contracts approved for assistance on farms because of the scarcity of suitable men.

Several men who had been on Scheme 13 had been dismissed and Social Security benefits cancelled because of their refusal to take iobs when offered,, the Placement Officer stated. Most of the jobs .concerned had been on farms. However, he did not consider that this had created any hardship because there was no shortage of work for all able-bodied men. Whereas, there had been 236 men on Scheme 13 a few years ago, there were, now only eight in the whole of the Rotorua, Taupo and Bay of Plenty area.

Skilled labour was still in great demand at timber mills, the number in the district being 55.

Referring to the"?school boys who had been placed by the department on farms during the school holidays. Mr Armstrong said it was most gratifying that there had been no complaints either from the farmers or the boys.