TRANSFERS OF MANPOWER

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23797, 17 November 1942, Page 6

TRANSFERS OF MANPOWER

APPEALS AGAINST DECISIONS

Five appeals against decisions of the District Manpower Officer were heard by the Industrial Manpower Committee at its sitting yesterday. Mr K. G. Archer presided, and with him were Messrs H Lee and P. J. Kelly.

Smokeless Fuel and Briquettes (Canterbury), Ltd., appealed against the decision of the Manpower Officer in granting Arthur John Warren permission to terminate his employment to take up employment at the Islington Freezing Works.

The manager of the company, H. O. Cross, said the company was an essential undertaking and manufactured metallurgical coke. Warren had been employed there for three years, and was a spare man who could do anything. The company worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and had always done this. The foundries at present were producing as much as possible and depended on the company to send them metallurgical coke. Warren was permanently unfit for military service. In evidence, Warren said he was put on the coke ovens as a spare man during the week, but not at the week-ends when double time was paid. He had been guaranteed a job on the chain at the freezing-works, The Manpower Officer (Mr M. Ross) said the report of his investigating officer showed that this man could be spared. The chairman said the committee considered it should uphold the Manpower Officer’s decision, and the appeal would be dismissed. .There was a direction from the Government to the Manpower Officer that all men who could be spared should be permitted to go to the freezing works.

Appeal Dismissed An appeal by Owen C. Mitchell against the decision of the Manpower Officer directing Eric Charles Fountain to employment with N. McGillivray as a carpenter on defence work, was dismissed. Mr Ross said that Fountain, who was a finisher, had been engaged on State housing work. Finishers had to be obtained and the State houses were the only places to get them from.

An appeal by Frederick William Hopgood against the decision of the Manpower Officer in refusing him permission to terminate his employment with the Walton Plumbing Company, was allowed. Mr A. C. Brassington said that Hopgood had been offered employment by the Canterbury Education Board, which had ample work to keep him fully employed, and was experiencing difficulty In finding tradesmen to carry out its work. Hopgood was employed on general plumbing work, and did very little overtime. His employer had not appealed for him when he was called up fqr the Army. Edward Walton said his firm did a lot of maintenance work for city firms. He had a senior apprentice In camp, and another man had been called in the ballot. If he lost tills man he would be left with only one man and a first year apprentice.

Cases Adjourned An appeal by James Shelley against his direction by the Manpower Officer from employment as a railway surfacemen at Hawarden to a surfaceman’s job at Parnassus was adjourned so that Shelley could be medically examined by a doctor nom * na ted by the Manpower Officer. Mr A. A. Reed, who appeared for Shelley, said his only reason for appealing was that he felt he was not fit to stand the work. He was suffering from Indigestion and was on a diet. On the new Job he would have to live in a hut and cook his own meals. The secretary of the local branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants had expressed the view that a younger and more strongly built man should have been selected for the job. The District Railway Engineer (Mr P. H. Morey) said Shelley was not being transferred as his headquarters would still be at Weikari. The work was of national Importance and would take three or four months. When Shelley was instructed to go to the job he said he did not wish to, because of his age. In evidence, Shelley said he would resign before he would go to the job.. The work was too heavy for him. An appeal by Frank Nicholls aghinst the decision of the Manpower Officer in directing Stella Dawn Dent to employment with the North Canterbury Hospital Board at the Jubilee Home, was adjourned for two weeks.