HUGE TRANSFER

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20738, 23 February 1939, Page 10

HUGE TRANSFER

iVIEN ON PUBLIC WORKS

ABSORPTION IN INDUSTRY GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL (By Telcgrarh.—Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday A proposal that 8000 men should Da taken trom public works and placed Into industry In six weeks has been made by the Government to the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation. This was revealed by the president, Mr H. B. Duckworth, in speaking at a meeting of the Canterbury Association last night.

Mr Duckworth said 30,000 men were on the Government's pay roll on public works and on the No. 13 Scheme. It was his opinion that the well from which these men were being paid was drying up.

The Federation had conferred with the Government on three occasions and had been asked to put 8000 men into industry in six weeks. The Federation had been asked how many men 1 could be employed and under what \ conditions the men could be absorbed, j At times it appeared the Government j •as asking the manufacturers to get dustry out of its difficulties. The problem was so big that the -sociation should convene a special meeting to deal with it. The c.ondi- • ons under which the increased lab- | ur supply could be absorbed had to j >e answered. Whether the Government would accede to the requests jf manufacturers was another matter. MANY DIFFICULTIES SUBSIDY PROBABLY 'NEEDED HURRIED PLAN IMPOSSIBLE (By Telegraph.—Press Association) DUNEDIN, Thursday “There are many difficulties in the ! way, one of the r 0 ' greatest being the necessity for obtaining female labour,” j i said Mr G. W. Reid, secretary of the ! Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association, to-day commenting on the proposal to transfer men from public works into industry. With an increaserl number of men extra girls had to be employed and the association had found on past occasions it practically impossible to get anything like the number of girls required, said Mr Reid. Another difficulty was that regarding conditions under which 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 sub- ; j sidy or a special under-rate permit ! j 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 i forced to do so had not always been | satisfactory to employers. A surest- \ ed remedy for this was to make the I pay and conditions for public works I employment less attractive. The opinion of manufacturers was ! that it would he a considerable time j yet before any plan could be drawn up. , That 8000 men could be put into industry in six weeks, said Mr Reid_ was an impossibility. MAKING MEN AVAILABLE EXPANSION OF INDUSTRY TRAINING SCHOOLS PROJECT (t> TelegrnpT* —Prc<>« Association) WELLINGTON, Thursday “If industry is expanded we will need men and we will see they are made available from public works and Scheme 13 to whatever number is required,” said the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, to-day when confirming the report that the Government, was in cooperation with the manufacturers in placing more men in industry. Mr Sullivan said the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, had told him that there were some : magnificent young men on public works : capable of being trained and if Mr j Sullivan wanted 500 or GOO or anything [up to 5000 men they would be made j available. He added that they were (working on the problem of training ! men Tor industry and a special departmental committee was investigating the question of establishing suitable training schools in each centre. ! In pursuance of his announced intention to see for himself what is being done in the manufacturing industries, the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. M. .7. Savage, to-day inspected four Wel- : lincton plants. He was accompanied by , Mr Sullivan.