RESERVED MEN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 63, 15 March 1944, Page 6

RESERVED MEN

DOMINION'S 39,000

HALF ON THE LAND

(Br Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this clay. Details of the number of lit men whose military service was being held up on December 31 by Armed Forces Appeal Boards on the grounds of public interest were given to-day by the Minister of Industrial Manpower, Mr. McLagan. The number of fit single men held from military service by appeal boards was 10.39], said Mr. McLagan, 1 while the number of married men [ held back was 28,623, making a total ! of 39,014. All the reservations were j subject to constant review, and while ' a sine die adjournment for a minis- j ter of religion or a member of the ! mercantile marine might be subject to only a routine review, the majority of the reservations were reviewed at regular and frequent intervals. The Minister provided a table j showing all the trades and occupa-1 tions involved. Primary industry, | which covered farming, fruitgrow-1 ing, sawmilling, coalmining, fishing : and quarrying, had 15,(86 fit men : held, of whom 5740 were single and 10,046 married. The construction group, compris-' ing all building construction "and j repairs, had 105 single men and I<26i married retained.

Transport and communications, covering the railways, ships, road, tram and harbour services, and also the Post and Telegraph Department and radio, had 1391 single men and 5283 married men, a total of 6650. Reservists in Other Groups The secondary industries group, which had retained 9136 men, including 1771 single and 7365 married men, covered freezing works, butter and cheese factories and all factories and metal industries, excluding railway workshops. The commerce, finance and storage group, comprising banks, insurance, trustee offices, shops, warehouses, depots, stores, etc., had retained 155 single men and 1602. married, a total of 1757.

The administration, professions and miscellaneous group had, retained 10,391 single men and 25.623 married men, a total of 39,014. This group included the following classes:— Single Married Total Religion and social welfare .. 338 413 751 Public Service, excluding Rail- . .ways, P. & T., Education, ' Public Works 53 470 523 Police 240 384 624 Local authorities, not otherwise enumerated 50 448 498 Education 40 353 393 Professions, including medical and dental 74 363 437 Students (full time) 392 28 420 Prisons, hospitals, mental hospitals 23 92 115 Hotels, entertainment, cleaning, domestic and other miscellaneous services 13 50 63 The Minister said that 15,786 of the reserved men were held in the primary industries, this being nearly one half of the total number of reservations. The number of single men held in the primary industries was much higher than the number in any other industry or trade, and a sudden mass release to the forces of the single men held on farms would entail serious dislocation of food production. It should be pointed out in this connection that in all cases of appeals for farm workers, reports were obtained from Primary Production Councils, and all such workers reserved were ncld by Armed Forces Appeal Boards on therecommendation of the Primary Production Councils. No one coul i seriously advocate the calling up of these men at the expense of the prod action of vital foodstuffs.

The figure for construction included all men engaged on hydroelectric schemes and other Public Works Department undertakings, and the figure for railways, under transport and communications, included all men engaged in railway workshops, maintenance, locomotive and traffic operation throughout the country. The low figure of 71 single men held back in the group of road, tram and harbour services included men employed by harbour boards as tug boat crews, pilots and men employed in the loading and unloading of ships throughout the country.

Position of "Watersiders In the case of watersiders no appeals for single men were lodged by the Commission on the grounds of public interest, and it was not until married men were balloted that the Commission and the Watersiders' Union agreed to support appeals for fit men against service with the armed forces. Among the secondary industries, ' the relatively high figure of 132 single men retained for textiles and clothing covered all woollen mills, »which had been engaged on urgent military and civilian contracts, and included men with the high degree of skill required as loom tuners, wool classers and the like. The figure for furniture, while relatively low, included certain workers who were engaged on the production of furniture to be forwarded to the armed forces in the Pacific area. The number held back in all financial institutions throughout the coun-

try amounted to only .five single men and 379 married men out of a total male labour force of approximately 6000. Handling Essential Goods The figure for shops, warehouses, depots and stores included all workers engaged in oil fuel depots, as well as wool, hide, grain and other bulk stores engaged in the handling of highly essential commodities. Only 53 fit single men of military age were held in Government Departments other than the Railways, Post and Telegraph, Public Works, Education Departments. Many of these were veterinarians and others were skilled workers in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. This low figure compared with a total labour force of some 7000 male workers in these Departments.

Full-time students covered medical, engineering and other students in training for services essential to the maintenance of the health of the people.

Constant Combing Out "It will be seen, therefore," said Mr. McLagan, "that the Armed Forces Appeal Boards, in dealing with appeals on the ground of public interest, have reduced the number of men held back from the forces to a very low figure. These appeals are constantly under review, and the process of combing out fit men, and especially fit single men, is going on all the time, and will be carried on to the utmost possible extent consistent with the maintenance of vital primary and secondary industries, and of essential communications and other services."

The figure also included a number of cases of one-man shops in country towns where the withdrawal of the proprietor would deprive the community of an essential service.