LABOUR IN DEMAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1940, Page 3

LABOUR IN DEMAND

ACCELERATION OF INDUSTRY IN CANADA. # ACTIVITY IN AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION. MONTREAL. Employment in Canada is now at its highest level in 20 years and signs of a shortage of skilled labour already have appeared, said the Bank of Montreal in its business summary for October. This increase was attributed in part to the acceleration of war industries and the calling up of men for military training. The report added that “every possible means will be employed to ensure that shortage of labour will not impede production of war materials.” Activity in the aircraft industry is increasing steadily and 40 per cent more workers have been engaged in the past three months. Canadian shipyards are working overtime and the iron and steel industries are working at “high pressure” says the report. Orders for automotive military equipment are keeping the output of motor car plants “abnormally high.”

The usual economic indices of Canadian business are “completely overshadowed by the swift progress toward the utilisation of every resource of manpower and material in the country in the production of war munitions and fighting forces," the report stated, adding that the order of the day was “full speed ahead." The report noted that retail trade across Canada was “very satisfactory” with a "brisk demand” in groceries, hardware and household furnishings.