Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1948 AN URGENT NEED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 78, 6 August 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1948

AN URGENT NEED

A statement by the postmaster at Whakatane, Mr S. W. Hills, published today and concerning the shortage of post office staff here, revives the suggestion made in' this column some months ago that an urgent need here is a well-kept, comfortable and homely hostel where juniors imported from other districts for all classes of occupations could get decent board at rates they could afford to pay. Lack of such accommodation is named by Mr Hills as chief cause of the staff shortage at his office. No doubt that applies just as much to the lack of juniors in other -occupations. It must be recognised by the juniors themselves that it would be uneconomic for any business to take the responsibility of training them, which usually uses up a certain amount of seniors’ time, and at the same time pay a starting wage .that would cover the heavy cost of board today, even if board were available, which is rarely the case. On the other hand, proprietors and managers of all businesses will as readily recognise that the future of their enterprises depends upon their being able to recruit young people who will apply themselves, to work arid study with the. ultimate aim of attaining executive, positions. It seems that the suggestion made by the Beacon, and made again now by .the. Postmaster, would go a long way towards solving those problems, if it could be put into effect. One knows that building permits are hard to get just now. Tt is also known that sections in the business area are rarely on the market, but it is seriously suggested that it should not be impossible for an organisation like the Chamber of Commerce to discover a suitable site. So far as the building is concerned, it need not be on any luxury scale, and it is not at all unlikely that a permit would be obtainable. It is not long since a similar scheme was carried out successfully at Putaruru, at the instigation of local business men backed by the Post and Telegraph Department. From a business point of view, the proposition is sound. It should be easy to finance such a scheme and run it as a co-opera-tive enterprise with local businesses as shareholders, and with a strong argument for a Government subsidy: Even if, by virtue of providing accommodation within the reach of the junior’s’ purses, the hostel did not pay a cash dividend, it would certainly pay- a dividend in community service'’ and would reward its shareholders by going a long way towards solving their staffing problems. This seems a matter that might well be taken up by a body such

as the Chamber of Commerce, whose members all have particular knowledge of the problem it is intended to overcome, and have the interests of the progress of the town at heart.