MANPOWER BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1940, Page 6

MANPOWER BOARD

new plymouth office big extension of work secretary appointed

With the extension and reconstruction of the Manpower Department the Taranaki headquarters will be occupying offices in Empire Buildings, King Street, New Plymouth, during next week. Previously the department has functioned from the placement office in the Social Security Department buildings. When the manpower committees were established about three months ago the placement officer for the district acted as secretary. With the increase of the work and the coming into operation of the National Service Act the two departments have had to be separated. Public Trust Officers. The secretary to the manpower committee is now a full-time occupation and in most districts senior officers of the Public Trust Office have been co-opted to fill these positions. At New Plymouth Mr. H. G. Wilson, of the Public Trust Office, has recently taken over the manpower committee sccretaryship. Previously the duties had been carried out' by the placement officer, Mr. B. P. Clark. Mr. Clark will still be connected with the manpower work as in cases of appeals the question of whether a man can be rcleased for military service depends to a large extent upon the labour at the disposal of the placement department. Publicity of Proceedings.

Up to the present the proceedings of the manpower committee have not been open to the public or the Press but whether there will be any change with the coming into operation of the National Service Act and the ballots its not yet known. During the last war in 1917-18 the proceedings for the appeals were held in open court.