H.—lla

These regulations are administered primarily through District Man-power Officers located in twenty-two centres and acting under the direction of the Controller of Man-power. Man-power Officers are assisted in matters relating to women by Women Personnel Officers, who have been appointed to their staffs. In the four main centres the services of the Secretaries of Youth Centres are availed of in matters relating to young persons, particularly those leaving school. A number of liaison officers have also been appointed to assist Man-power Officers in their work. All decisions and directions of District Man-power Officers are subject to a right of appeal, and four travelling Man-power Appeal Committees have been established in the four main centres to deal with these appeals. 4. ADVISORY BODIES The co-operation of both employers and workers has been a necessary pre-requisite to the effective working of the various measures of control, and, in order to both (a) secure this co-operation and (b) obtain the benefit of experienced opinions in the formulation of detailed policy matters affecting particular industries, a number of advisory bodies have been set up under the title of Man-power Utilization Councils and Committees. Each Council is a national body consisting of representatives of employers and workers in some important industry, together with representatives of this Division and any other Government Departments concerned. Its functions are to keep the Government advised of the man-power position in the industry, to discuss and put forward recommendations regarding the functioning of man-power control and the more effective use of man-power in the industry. Local Committees are set up as recommended by the National Council, and consist of local representatives of employers, workers, and Government Departments, with the District Man-power Officer as chairman. Their main functions are :— (а) To advise the Man-power Officer regarding local labour requirements and resources : (б) To make recommendations to Armed Forces Appeal Boards concerning local personnel in the industry who have been called up for military service : (c) To deal with local man-power problems or difficulties as they arise : (d) To make recommendations regarding the better use of man-power. The industries in respect of which these bodies have so far been established are Baking Laundries Biscuits Motor trades Butter and cheese Optical trades Clothing Plumbing Coal-gas Printing and publishing Electrical trades Road transport Engineering Tanneries Food canning and preserving Tobacco Footwear Tramways Freezing-works Wholesale groceries Furniture Woollen-mills. (See Appendix for details of Local Committees.) In addition to these bodies (which are organized in the first instance by this Division), Man-power Officers have recourse to— (i) Primary Production Councils, which are organized by the Agriculture Department to deal particularly with problems arising in connection with farm production, including, of course, man-power problems ; and (ii) Building Committees, which are organized by the Building Controller on behalf of the Commissioner for Defence Construction. These deal with the problems of the building and constructional industries, again including man-power problems. All these bodies have played an important part in the harmonious development and application of measures for the re-organization and redistribution of industrial man-power. 5. ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES AND UNDERTAKINGS The first measure of control to be given effect has been to declare a large number of industries and individual undertakings to be " essential" in terms of the new regulations. The conditions imposed by these declarations are briefly as follows : —■ (a) The employer may no longer terminate the employment of a worker except with the consent of a District Man-power Officer: (b) No worker is permitted to terminate his employment except with the consent of a District Man-power Officer : (c) Workers are protected against reductions in wage-rates, and are guaranteed a minimum weekly wage provided they are capable of work, available for work, and willing to perform any reasonable services required of them : (d) Penalties are, however, provided for absenteeism or failure to work with due diligence: (e) Employers are required to operate their plant to the full extent specified by Controllers. (These provisions are designed not only to reduce the loss of workers from industries which are important in war conditions, but also to ensure that the labour attached to these industries is fully and effectively used.)

43