DIRECTION OF GIRLS

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24367, 20 September 1944, Page 4

DIRECTION OF GIRLS

Minister Replies To Protest I DEMANDS OF ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY An assurance that no girls will be directed away from their home districts unless first-class accommodation is available for them in hostels which are controlled on behalf of the Government by the Y.W.C.A., and that only where sucn a course is essential for the maintenance of production and services vital to. the war effort will further female workers be transferred to North Island centres, is given by the Minister of Industrial Manpower (the Hon. A. McLagan) in a letter to the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr E. H. Andrews). The letter is ih reply to a protest by the South Island Local Bodies" Executive against the direction of girls from the South Island to work in the North Island. “While I agree that there is some justification for this protest in so far as it relates to the direction of girls from the West Coast, it would appear that your executive was not aware of the actual position regarding the direction of labour from the South Island when this matter was discussed," states the Minister. Mr McLagan says that there are only 56 girls employed in essential Undertakings in the North Island who have been directed from the South Island by manpower officers, and that he was advised that “a good proportion" of these girls expressed their willingness to accept the work to which they were directed. Before receipt of the executive’s letter it had been decided that no further girls should be directed from the West Coast. “As you are no doubt aware, there is an acute shortage of female labour in the Wellington and Lower Hutt districts, where a number of large and important industrial units are established, and, if the production of certain commodities which are manufactured in these factories for distribution throughout the whole Dominion is to be maintained, I am afraid that it will be necessary to draw additional labour from other districts,” the letter continues. “Few Men Now Affected" The Minister states that male labour directions to the North Island have been restricted almost entirely to building tradesmen, whose services were urgently required fpr special defence construction jobs. ■ Of the several hundred such men originally directed from the South Island, no more than 60 were still working in the North Island. These men would be released from their present employment within the next few weeks. “In the light of the above information, I feel sure you will agree that there is little justification for the protest made by your executive.” concludes the Minister. “While it may be necessary in .the future to arrange for the transfer of further female workers to fill some of the higher priority vacancies in those North Island centres where it has been necesrary to resort to compulsory diversion of labour from non-essential avenues of employment to a far greater degree than has been the case in the South Island, your executive may-rest assured that this course will 'oe adorted only to the extent that it is absolutely essential for the purpose of maintaining essential production and services which are vital to the Dominion’s war effort.” National Development The vote for the Organisation of National Development was not reached by the House of Representatives until after 11 o’clock last evening. After one question had been asked by Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition, Waitomo) the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon P. Fraser) said this important new department should have better consideration than the House could give it at that hour. Accordingly the House reported progress and adjourned.—(F.O.P.R.)

As far as the expenses of legations were concerned, all he could say was that if they were to send representatives abroad they had to see that they were properly equipred. After protracted discussion the Dominion’s representation abroad vote for the Department of External Affairs was passed at 11.17 p.m.