ARMY OF WORKERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 199, 24 August 1942, Page 3

ARMY OF WORKERS

AUSTRALIA'S PLANS

Great Number of Women to be

Called in Summer

United Press Association—Copyright Rec. 2 p.m. SYDNEY, this day

The Federal authorities plan to divert another 200,000 men and women from non-essential work to war activities between next January and the end of June, says the Dailv Telegraph. This will mean a total of about 500,000 workers to war activities this financial year.

About half of the 200,000 workers probably will be women. Of 318,000 workers being diverted between now and the end of December only 40,000 will be women. The Government, it is reported, considers that by the end of next June it will have gone as far as it can in diverting men and women to war work. Australia will then have slightly more than 1,000,000 men and women working full-time in the services and war industries.

The Gpvernment proposes, it is reported, that the production of war materials after June should be increased by methods other than finding more labour. These methods include better distribution of raw materials, improvement in management, and the implementation of more scientific methods of shiftworking. The lack of extra men for the three fighting services will be compensated for under this plan by increasing mechanical striking power.