MANPOWER POLICY'

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 85, 11 April 1945, Page 4

MANPOWER POLICY'

FARMING INDUSTRY THE OFFICIAL ATTITUDE PA. WELLINGTON, this day. The official attitude towards the manpower position in the dairy industry has been explained in a letter to the New Zealand Dairy Board by the Minister of Manpower, Mr. McLagan. As a result of the unsatisfactory position which was developing, and following representations by dairy companies, the board sent letters to the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, the Minister of Manpower and the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Roberts, setting out the board's concern, and "the effects on production if A grade men now held on appeal were taken from the dairy industry. In reply, Mr. McLagan assured the board that armed forces appeal boards would give the fullest consideration to the possibility of maintaining production, and would not draw men into the armed forces in such a way as materially to affect production from the dairy industry. It must be understood, he said, that the release of men with many years' service in the Middle East was dependent on the combing out of a considerable number of category A men, till now held on appeal in New Zealand. Farming and related industries in particular, stated Mr. McLagan, had more of these men held than all the other industries in New Zealand combined, and it would be necessary, therefore, to withdraw at least a percentage of these men in the near future. It was realised that there might be some temporary inconvenience in certain cases, but the replacement scheme had been given priority by the War Cabinet.