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DEFENCE & INDUSTRY

' PROSPECTIVE HEAVY CALL ON MAN POWER I SURVEY BY MR. COATES. I WORK OF WAR CABINET. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH. February 7. An objective in manpower for overseas and home defence for New Zea- ■ land to be reached by 1944 was detailI ed by a member of the War Cabinet. I Mr. Coates, to members of the Canter- ) bury Chamber of Commerce today. I The call on manpower, he said, would i be greater than in the last war. while provision would have to be made for • lhe supply of goods and.materials previously imported for the armed forces as well as' the civilian population. Definite responsibility rested on the shoulders of everybody in the country and no difficulty could be allowed to stand in the way of lhe war effort. he said. In the four years of the last war. New Zealand mobilised for overseas 124.000 men. of whom 100.000 were overseas or on the water when the war ended. Figures of additional men who! would be mobilised in New Zealand' for overseas service by lhe end of 19441 were quoted by Mr. Coates, who said that many thousands would be mobilised by then for home defence. CONTRAST WITH LAST WAR. As compared with the last war there were several entirely different factors ■ making a stronger call on manpower | for overseas and home defence. The i Expeditionary Force had to be main- | tained and. in addition, between 7000! and 8000 men were drawn out of man- j power every year for the Air Force) and approximately 2000 men and \ youths were required as technicians ! and artisans for naval purposes. Obligations on the youth of the country were heavier than in the last war. "Our objective of manpower for the Army can only be achieved by the utilisation of men who may not be so fit ■ in industry and also by the very strong) dilution of workmen." Mr Coates said. ■' "These are points which in lhe last ■ war did not affect us to anything like! the same extent. The call for youth in the Air Force and Navy has put an extra strain on triose lads between the ages of 19 and 21.” New Zealand’s internal position in the 1914-1918 war and the present war wen. also compared by Mr. Coates. The Ministry of Shipping had already shortened tonnage for goods for the Dominion. GOING WITHOUT IMPORTS. “That means that New Zealand will not have several millions of pounds of goods." ho said. “You just won’t have them That is all there is about it. Wo have lost, ships and wo have raiders al large in the South. Pacific. How many ; wo do not know. Every ship has to bo escorted in and out of our country. Thai should bring it to you that the position is not as pleasant as it could be. In addition to manpower for lhe three services overseas we have to or-! ganisc home defence to the point where it can take the field. Already 7000 men are under training. "We are forced back to another factor. We have to provide in our own country material, goods and funds which wo are unable to get from overseas by reasons of the restrictions on shipping and the safety of shipping.” For some weeks past, said Mr Coates) he and his colleagues of lhe War Cabinc’ had been investigating the reserves of manpower available so that instead ; of being caught on lhe “hop" they ) could automatically work to an ob- | jective of four years. They were try-! ing to arrange the How of manpower ’ for the services and lhe replacement of that, manpower in industry and dr.ig-) noting important industries. He hoped : the War Cabinet would be able to ask ■ those men responsible for running industry to look at the situation i thoroughly and show how it could be) done. They might have to go even-further i than that. Il might be necessary to) direct certain employees from one in- 1 dustry to another. New Zealand was ! being pushed back to the point when ! it had to play its part in the conflict ) and at tlie same time provide its own defence and for its own people It i was awkward he would admit, but n<v difficulty must be allowed to stand in ' the way of the achievement of the ob- ■ jective. lii Britain a great proportion t ,f the 1 national income was going to the provision of defence at lion.se wnd in sh<- ! different theatres of w..r x,-. v Z,- . land had to play its part and emulate lhe great example set by Britain. Thm was the iicklisFi problem which iontt'otited the Dominion.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19410208.2.59

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1941, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
779

DEFENCE & INDUSTRY Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1941, Page 6

DEFENCE & INDUSTRY Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1941, Page 6

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