PROBLEMS OF MANPOWER

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23799, 19 November 1942, Page 4

PROBLEMS OF MANPOWER

PUBLIC CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK Five draft motions on the Dominion’s manpower position have been propared as a basis for disQUssion at tne public conference in Christchurch on Wednesday called by the Canterbury Progress League, and copies have been sent to the league's constituents ana other interested organisations. The draft motions are:— “The absence of a carefully considered plan for tne efficient utilisation of the Dominions manpower, embracing the relative requirements of the armed forces and the industrial life of the country ano preserving an appropriate'balance between the two groups, is causing undesirable competition for a rapidly diminishing reserve of manpower, which, if allowed to continue, must inevitably lead to a complete disorganisation of the national effort. "The first step towards a planned effort to secure the fullest and most effective use of manpower is a thorough classification of all available personnel arranged in order of priority or essentiality cl the uses to whicn such personnel can be put. "While such a classification is essential as a basis for the direction of manpower, the inevitability of changing needs must ce remembered, undue rigidity avoided, and sufficient flexibility in the distribution of manpower to meet changing needs must be provided for. Continuous Service “The present method of requiring continuous service for the home defence forces is subject to serious defects. It is wasteful of manpower, inefficient. costly, and it is tedious and frustrating to the men concerned. Concentration on moie intensive and more realistic training, for limited numbers of men and foi short periods, should lead to greater efficiency, and should also release a large proportion of the manpower for civilian work, while the men so released would remain trained and available for mobilisation in case of real emergency For youths entering the forces at the age of 18, the present continuous service is specially demoralising Home Guard parades, too, particularly in country districts, where men are working long hours on farms, need to be reduced and confined to more realistic training, both to allow more time and effort for essential work and to maintain enthusiasm for the Home Guard. “The supply ol foods and other farm products to our allies in war time, and to the oppressed countries as well as to our normal customers after the war, requires not only the maintenance but also the expansion of our farm production. But increasing difficulties of manpower threaten to impair present production and effectively prevent the expansion that will be required to meet the post-war needs that are anticipated. An obvious source for increased labour supply is the utilisation of prisoners of war, not only for direct productive work on farms, but also for aoditional work such as noxious weeds eradication, gorse grubbing, swamp diainage, and forestry. Both the Aliied and the Axis countries are using of war for work of this type. The New Zealand Government should be urged, particularly in view of the present labour shortages, to follow the practice adopted in other parts of the Empire, and to use prisoners ol war to the fullest practicable extent in maintaining farm production and improving farm lands.” League’s Misgivings Mr D. W. Westenra, chairman of the league’s agricultural committee, emphasised yesterday that for some time the league had had misgivings lest, the lack of a coherent manpower policy brought New Zealand to the stage when a complete breakdown of the war effort would be inevitable. The question has been before the league periodically since a conference of its constituents ana public bodies in 1939. The conference had given the executive a mandate to call on the Government to formulate a plan for the most effective use ol the Dominion's limited manpower giving maximum efficiency both in the armed forces and in civil and industrial life. How far the Government had proceeded could be judged by the people. The claim had been made, he sdd, that New Zealand had withdrawn a greater percentage of manpower from civilian occupations than any other country. While that was an achievement of which the people might be proud, it was not to be overlooked that the armed forces were inseparable from their civil and industrial background. There had to be a proper balance, and that was where the league considered there might be a weakness and some cause for public uneasiness.