BRITAIN AND THE WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 November 1941, Page 6

BRITAIN AND THE WAR

MAN-POWER PROBLEM. POOR RESPONSE BY WOMEN. Man-power is one of the increasing problems in Britain after two years’ of war. In the early months there used to be ludicrous incidents of men endeavouring without success to enter any one of the three services; but today that fs a dim memory, and with the announcement that men up to 50 may become liable for service, the full effect of the war machine is beginning to impress itself, writes a London correspondent. One of the many difficulties is ensuring that men are retained in specialised occupations- and trades instead of being drafted into the ranks as so much raw material. The schedule of reserved occupations, which is now gradually seeing the age limits raised, helped to a certain extent, but there has still been dissatisfaction. Farm labourers and miners are two cases in point. There has been much criticism over the calling up of these two classes, and many miners have been released to return to the mines. Farm labourers had been drifting to factory work in the days before the war. Today, with more land under the plough than for 20 years, effect of that drift is self-evident, and calling up to the forces has not helped the situation. The Women’s Land Army has filled part of the gap, but only a part. To mention women is to refer to one of the biggest worries of the Minister of Labour, Mr Ernest Bevin. It is true that in this war thousands upon thousands of women have come forward to do work that women never did in the last war. But more still are needed in the factories and in the services, and they are not coming forward in the required numbers. It has been announced that the women of London, for instance, have disappointed the Ministry of Labour. It was hoped that as a- result of three months of women’s war work weeks, 25,000 women'would be recruited. But only 2000 enrolled. In the West Country, Ministry of Labour staffs are so concerned because a number of women use deceitful methods to obtain exemption that they are honing to receive powers to investigate excuses. The manageress of one country exchange said that a variety of excuses had been made. She said: One member of my staff overheard a woman say: ‘I have put it across Bevin. I said I have a child, but I haven t. Another in the hearing of a friend of mine said: ■I have done the dirty on them. I said I had to look after my husband, but he is a soldier serving abroad’.”