H—llA

appeal. During the period Ist October, 1943, to 31st March, 1944, directions issued by District Man-power Officers to engineering and allied industry totalled 1,699 males and 393 females. 298. In December, 1944, however, although the industry could ill afford the loss of skilled tradesmen, it was required, in common with other industries, to make its contribution to the reinforcements for the Middle East Division to enable the scheme for the replacement of long-service personnel to be carried through. Appeals in respect of men held in the industry were accordingly reviewed, and the number of Category " A " personnel retained on appeal was reduced to 1,786 as at 28th February, 1945, and further reduced to 1,290 by 15th August, 1945, these figures again being exclusive of railways and tramways workshops staffs. (In comparing figures relating to men held on appeal as at varying dates it should be borne in mind that figures quoted to 31st March, 1944, inclusive, comprise Grade I men aged twenty to forty years inclusive and all Air Force and naval volunteers, while figures for 1945 relate to Grade I men aged twenty-one to thirty-five years inclusive with fewer than three children and who had had less than three years' overseas service, together with all Air Force and naval volunteers.) 299. A call from Great Britain for an urgent step-up of production of certain classes of munitions in December, 1944, necessitated the provision of 100 additional female workers in the Lower Hutt district, and again this demand was met by the direction of women from other centres. 300. Man-power releases from the Forces to the industry during the twelve months ended 31st March, 1945, totalled 1,246, and directions issued by District Man-power Officers in the same period to the industry numbered 4,841 males and 1,077 females. 301. Immediately following the defeat of Germany in May, 1945, the munitions programme was curtailed and the female labour force was correspondingly reduced in units affected. The capitulation of Japan in August, 1945, brought the production of munitions to a halt, since when the industry has concentrated on changing back to peacetime activities and overtaking arrears of normal work which was laid aside during the war years. 302. Notified vacancies in the engineering and metal trades as at 31st March, 1946, were for 817 males and 91 females. (xi) Other Essential Industries and Services 303. Under this heading are included— Bakeries and butcheries. Laundries. Biscuit-making. Linen-flax industry. Building-materials manufacture. Local authorities. Education. Motor trades. Eellmongering, woolscouring, and tanning. Plumbing trades. Miscellaneous food processing and canning. Printing and publishing. Footwear-manufacture. Stock and station agencies. Furniture-making. Tobacco-processing. Gas and electricity production and supply. Other food and drink industries. Hotels and restaurants. Miscellaneous industries and services. 304. All of these industries and services experienced staffing difficulties during the war period due to the general labour shortage occasioned by the intake of men and women to the Forces. They were all affected to a greater or lesser degree by the priorities accorded to the other industries previously dealt with and the diversion of labour to those industries, and some were called upon for increased production or efforts due to the needs of the war. 305. Protection was afforded by the granting of declarations of essentiality covering these industries and services, either wholly or in part, and the Department assisted to the utmost extent consistent with the priorities and demands of other industries, by the direction of workers, man-power releases from the Forces, and the retention of men from military service by Armed Forces Appeal Boards.

56