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(e) New Zealand Railways.—This was the only other industry experiencing any large shortage of male-labour and having vacancies for 79 men (mostly unskilled men) at the end of March, 1946. The Signals and Maintenance Branch required men urgently for country work, but recruitment was handicapped by the shortage of accommodation available. (/) Clothing-factories.—By far the most marked shortage of female labour occurred in this industry, with notified vacancies rising from 354 in September, 1945, to 510 in March, 1946 (203 skilled, 187 unskilled, and 120 juveniles). Although vacancies for skilled operatives remain high, employers have been willing to employ any unskilled labour offering. In an effort to overcome the position some firms have been engaging a limited number of males for work previously performed by females. There is little prospect of the position improving in the immediate future, and in a number of cases, firms have been establishing branches in the smaller rural centres. The shortages have not been uniform in all factories, as those manufacturing heavy garments have suffered more serious shortages than those handling lighter fabrics, particularly for women's wear. (g) Woollen-mills. —Much the same position occurred in this industry with notified vacancies which in September, 1945, were 106, rising to 160 by March, 1946. The shortages have reduced the numbers of those engaged in this industry to below pre-war figures. As a result, there is a rising demand for male labour, and at 31st March, 1946, notified male vacancies were 40. (h) Hospitals (including Mental Hospitals and Sanatoria). —Steady demands have been in evidence over the period, rising to a peak of 146 notified vacancies in February, with a drop to 99 in March, 1946. The most serious shortages have been for nurses in the mental hospital, domestic staff in the general hospitals, and hospital aides at the Waipiata Sanatorium. (i) Hotels and Restaurants.—Notified vacancies rose from 88 in September, 1945, to 161 in February, 1946, although by the end of March vacancies had declined to 87. (j) Retail Shops.—Most demands have been for female labour, with most vacancies for juveniles. Peak female demands were 117 in February, 1946, with a fall to 87 in March, 58 of these being for juveniles. Only limited employment opportunities have been offering to males vacancies at 31st March, 1946, standing at only 19. (1c) Other Industries. —Footwear-factories have experienced a difficult period, and, in common with the textile trade, were turning, towards the end of the period, to the engagement of a limited number of male machinists. Vacancies for female labour at 31st March, 1946, stood at 40. Shortages were also shown in a number of other industries —biscuit and confectionery 57 vacancies, flock and felt 50, at the end of March. (I) Returned Servicemen. —Steady placements have been effected of the great majority of exservicemen registering as seeking employment, and, with full co-operation from employers, no great difficulties have risen in the locating of suitable employment. Vacancies offering for clerks, truckdrivers, warehousemen, shop-assistants, or for semi-fit men have been limited, but satisfactory results have been achieved. Invercargill District 483. Vacancies for male labour during the period were on average eleven times as numerous as the number of men seeking work through the Department and there has been no lack of employment opportunities except for a small number of semi-fit persons for whom it has generally been difficult to find suitable employment. No females registered for employment., and the number of vacancies for female labour averaged 102 during the period. (a) Sawmilling Industry.—The greatest shortage of male labour occurred in this industry, where there were 51 notified vacancies at the end of March, 1946, mostly for experienced men. Nevertheless, the majority of the sawmills have been manned sufficiently to enable them to carry on working, though in some cases it has been necessary for them to work on alternate days in the bush and at the mill, with a consequent loss in output. For some months defections from the numerical strength of workers in this industry on account of age, health, or other disabilities have exceeded recruitments. Lack of accommodation and other amenities for either married or single men, and, in many cases, inadequate transport facilities, have made it exceedingly difficult to obtain sufficient suitable labour to keep the mills working to full capacity. This class of work has not been attractive to many ex-servicemen who have had the requisite experience. (b) Farming Industry.—Although fairly considerable demands for labour were received, the general trend, except during the shearing season, has been for demands to decrease in number. Overall notified vacancies from all types of farms in September, 1945, were 59, in November 70, in January 12, and by the end of March only 7. Numbers of ex-servicemen upon discharge from the Armed Forces have shown preference for this class of work, and, with close attention continuously given to the labour requirements of this industry, a steady number of placements was made during the period. The advent of the wool season brought about a keen demand for blade and machine shearers. The majority of sheepowners wanted shearers at the same time, and it was not possible to meet all demands immediately, particularly those from high-country sheep-stations, where blade shearing is the normal practice. This latter problem is likely to continue each season, as the majority of recruits confine their activities to machine-shearing and not to blade-shearing.

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