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Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 July 1940, Page 8

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BRITAIN’S MIGHTY VVL-. EFFORT (Continued from page 5.) The formidable rate at which the British Army itself is growing is indicated in the figure revealed today of the daily intake which for a period of seven weeks will average 7000. Adequate as the available resources of trained men appear to any challenge that lies immediately ahead before further reinforcements of men and the great outpouring of material from the factories give back military initiative it is fully appreciated here that any attack on Britain will be made in the greatest possible force and with every possible aid from surprise. For that reason there will be most relentless pursuit of increase of material and equipment. MILLION VOLUNTEERS. It is for that reason, too, that the authorities welcome the remarkable public response to the recruiting of local defence volunteers, who now number over a million. These volunteers are intended to perform duties which will afford the field army substantial relief from secondary preoccupations. The greatest possible emphasis is being laid upon the need for increas-, ing the output of material and equip-1 ment. The Secretary of War, the Minister of Labour, and the other Ministers concerned are working in close concentration to ensure that the demands of the Army should not reduce the labour force essential to the maintenance of the maximum output of the war industries. One of the firsts acts of Mr Churchill’s all-party administration was the setting up of a production council under the chairmanship of one member of the War Cabinet, Mr Greenwood, to determine priorities. The council has worked out such priorities over the whole field of industry. ORGANISATION OF INDUSTRY. In the meantime the Minister of Labour, Mr Bevin, has been tackling the problem of skilled workers. The problem is more difficult today even than in 1915-16 because of the development of the mechanism of war and technological changes, which have increased by 50 per cent the importance of precision processes relative to processes capable of routine repetition in mass. It is stated authoritatively, however, that considerable progress has been made in this problem. The register of skilled categories will enable the transfer of skilled labour to war work with a minimum of delay. A census of machine tools has revealed enormous unused capacity to which labour and material will now progressivey be adjusted. A measure of the success achieved in mobilising manpower with the least possible dislocation is afforded by the fact that in recent weeks it has been possible to place in industry, both from the ranks of the unemployed by training and from unskilled labour force by up-grading, numbers greater than those taken for the Army at the present increased rate of intake. The Minister of Labour, it is understood, is satisfied that it will be possible to continue to meet Army needs without depleting essential war industries.

The building and civil engineering trades have been organised to such effect that there has been a great acceleration in the completion of war factories so that many will come to production four or five months ahead of schedule. Steps have been taken to facilitate the geographical transference of labour while transference from industries working for the home market or in some cases from export to war industries is being smoothed by an increase in the Ministry of Labour’s training facilities and in other ways. SPIRIT OF MUTUAL TRUST. All these adjustments are being made with a minimum resort to the Minister of Labour's powers of compulsion. They have, in fact, been made possible by generous relaxation on the part of the' unions of nearly all “trade practices”—an attitude which is illustrative of the spirit of mutual trust in industry to which both sides have contributed, and which the 'Minister of Labour has sought to cultivate by seeing that the Government made its contribution by giving close attention to continuance of reinforcement in forms adjusted to the sterner circumstances of the services aiming at the welfare of the workers and the maintenance of industrial efficiency. It can be stated that the Ministei’ of Labour expects shortly to issue an order providing for the regulation of wages and for arbitration in all disputes. This step may be said to complete the mobilisation of British industry for war. The fact that Mr Bevin has had the co-operation of Trade Union Congress and employers’ organisations in drafting these arrangements is the clearest possible demonstration of the determination of employers and men, in the hour of the nation’s need to give to their very utmost in forging for the armies of the British Empire and its Allies the weapons of victory.