MEN FOR INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1939, Page 5

MEN FOR INDUSTRY

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WISHES TO DO “SAVE MANUFACTURERS AND COUNTRY AT SAME TIME.” MR WEBB DENIES DESPERATE APPEAL. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, February 23. A denial that the Government was appealing to manufacturers to get the country out of its difficulties was made by the Minister of Labour, Mr Webb, when commenting upon a statement by the president of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, Mr H. B. Duckworth, on the absorption of public works men into industry. On the other hand, the Government wished to save the manufacturers and the country at the same time. Mr Webb said that with the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, he had attended a conference with representatives of the manufacturers some time- ago to discuss the expansion of their industries to meet the* increasing demands resulting from the restrictions on imports. The manufacturers had pointed out that they would require enlarged premises, and said they were experiencing difficulty in securing young factory workers. “ J pointed out that I was anxious to place as many as possible suitable adult men now on public works or Scheme 13.” said the Minister, who added that many of these were capable of adapting themselves to some form of semi-skilled trade. After a survey several South Island manufacturers 'estimated that they would require almost immediately in Christchurch and Dunedin alone about 4000 additional employees if they were to provide the considerable quantity of goods previously imported. If the other centres in the North Island responded in the same way, it was quite obvious that more than 8000 additional employees would be needed.

At a subsequent conference between the same parties, it was still impossible to say how many adults could be absorbed at an early date, Mr Webb added. It was known now, however, that large numbers of Scheme 13 men were finding employment privately. The importation of skilled artisans would mean employment for many others in providing materials, but still further men could be made available for absorption into secondary industries if the manufacturers could adjust their plans to absorb them. “I feel certain that Mr Duckworth’s statement was not fully and correctly reported, because he has taken a very keen interest in the development of our secondary industries, and has always expressed himself as desirous of co-operating with the Government in firmly establishing our secondary industries,” Mr Webb said. “Any suggestion of his that the Government is making desperate appeals to manufacturers to save the country is quite uncalled for. We want to save the manufacturers and the country at the same time.

“In any case, unless the manufacturers get busy and adjust their plants and labour to the production of more of the commodities that we will undoubtedly soon need, it seems obvious that big business people overseas who have been exporting large quantities of goods to this country will establish their own plants here.” He added that naturally the Government would prefer to see the _ local manufacturers supply the additional goods required, and they could be assured of every help and encouragement from the Government.

DIFFICULTIES SEEN. SHORTAGE OF FEMALE LABOUR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, February 23. “There are many difficulties in the way, one of the greatest being the necessity for obtaining female labour,” said Mr G. W. Reid, secretary of the Dunedin Manufacturers' Association, when commenting on the proposal to transfer men from public works into industry. With an increased number of men extra girls had to be employed, and the association had found it practically impossible to get anything like the number of girls required on past occasions. Another difficulty was that regarding the conditions under which the men would be allowed to enter other industries. Inexperienced men could not expect to be paid full wages while learning, and some arrangement, such as a Government subsidy or special underrate permit, would have to be come to. It had been found that men who had been employed on public works were disinclined to enter factories, and when forced to do so had not always been satisfactory to the employers. The suggested remedy for this was to make the pay and conditions less attractive than they were. The opinion of manufacturers was that it would be a considerable time yet before any plan could be drawn up. That 8000 men could'be put into industry in six weeks was an impossibility, said Mr Reid. PROPOSED TRAINING INVESTIGATION BEING MADE BY COMMITTEE. POSITION OF PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. An announcement that a departmental committee was investigating the possibility of establishing suitable training centres to train skilled men for industry was made yesterday by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, when his attention was called to the statement by the president of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, Mr H. B. Duckworth. “If industry is to expand we will need more employees, and we will see that men are made available from public works and Scheme 13 in whatever numbers are needed,” said Mr Sullivan. “The Minister of Public Works has told me that there are some magnificent young men in public works capable of being trained, and if I want 500 or GOO, or even 5000, they will be made available to me from the pubjic works.” Mr Sullivan said he had seen some of them being trained in industry already. The Government was working on the problem of how to provide facilities for training skilled men, and a departmental committee, embracing his own department, the Labour Department, and the Education Department, was now investigating the possibility of establishing suitable training centres. The Prime Minister, Mr Savage, said that the general policy was to take men off public works and put them into industry. They wanted to train as many as possible of our own people. “We have to produce more in the secondary industries,” he said. “That does not mean that people in the secondary industries have to double their production. It means we have to have more people doing the work, and that those who are employed at least maintain their production.”

Mr A. Cook, secretary of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, of which the employees of the Public Works Department are members, said yesterday that he could give no information about the proposal to draft men from public works jobs to industries in which the members of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation are interested. The union had not been informed of such a proposal, he said. He believed few artisans remained on the department’s works. Most had returned to their industries, the remaining skilled men being ones with trades like tunnelling.