STATE WORKSHOPS CRITICISED

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23351, 10 June 1941, Page 6

STATE WORKSHOPS CRITICISED

AUXILIARY WORKERS NOT ENGAGED STATEMENT BY MR G. T. THURSTON Criticism of the failure of Government workshops to employ men trained under the auxiliary scheme, while the same workshops asked for sine die postponements in appeals through the Director of National Service on behalf of workshops employees, was expressed by Mr G. T. Thurston, a member of the Christchurch Manpower Committee, at a sitting of the committee yesterday.' Mr Thurston said the committee should be consistent in its decisions, and if it gave special privileges to the Government workshops as employers, then it should give the same privileges to private, employersengaged in similar industries. Mr Thurston’s statement was ipade when three appeals by the Director of National Service on behalf of workshops apprentices in the Railways Department came up for hearing. A letter from the director suggested that the appeals’ should be adjourned sine dje, and stated that the men would be required to enrol under the Emergency Precautions Scheme. The men were Alexander Robert Owen, apprentice boilermaker, Morgan Roy Davies, apprentice fitter turner, and Alfred Read, apprentice fitter. , ... Mr J. S. Barnett presided, and with him were Mr Thurston and Mr S, L. Wright. Captain G. H. Anderson represented the military. authorities. Captain Anderson asked why these men should be lost to the army. Why should they not do their territorial service? ’ ' „ * “It appears that the Government workshops only need to apply to the committee and ah adjournment is granted,” said Mr Thurston. “There is a shortage of skilled workers in New Zealand, yet the Government Workshops refuse to take on any of the auxiliary workers. The original idea was that they would take them all, the workshops to be a sort of depot for which these workers would be drawn on. . . “The ordinary employer is asked-to place these auxiliary workers, but the Government departments are refusing to take any.” said Mr Thurston. “I cannot see that the Government itself is responsible. It must be the departmental heads.

Consistent Policy Needed “If we have any policy it must be common to all. If we grant these .adjournmenls at the request of the Director of National Service, we must grant every other employer in similar industry the same privilege. These men are just as necessary in private industry as in the Government workshops. H ow is & Private firm going to put on an extra shift unless extra workers are trained? “Why does the department not assist us?” Mr Thurston continued. “We do know that in Wellington, where a'considerable number of these auxiliary workers has been trained, the Government workshops have taken none. Ordinary industry has to struggle on as best it can. yet the. Government departments expect an adjournment sine die every time.” The workshops’ refusal to take, any of the auxiliary workers meant that private enterprise had ,to absorb them and assist the Government to overcome a difficulty, not only by bearing the cost of training these auxiliary workers, but by contending with the disruption of the ordinary workshop staff, and particularly the apprentice staff. It was the strangest situation, and one that was not going to reflect very great credit on the departmental heads.

“I suggest all these applications'be adjourned until we can have a discussion with the Director of National Service and the General Manager of Railways,” .said Mr Thurston. The chairman: We have had the manager of the Addington workshops here before. We could get him here again. , Mu, Thurston: The general manager is the man. The workshops manager is a member of the committee for training auxiliary workers. The chairman: If we adjourn the cases until we can get the general manager down here we will wait a long time. • .

"In that case we should dismiss the appeals, as we would do with any others where the employer was not present,” said. Mr Thurston. “We should not differentiate our decisions. In fact, the leniency should be the other way.” Decision was reserved.