Mills Get Labour From Australia

Press, Volume C, Issue 29518, 20 May 1961, Page 12

Mills Get Labour From Australia

(Neto Zealand Press Association; DUNEDIN, May 19. An acute labour shortage in Dunedin has forced the Roslyn Woollen Mills to undertake a recruiting campaign in Australia to bring skilled workers to its factory. A party of 15 will arrive by air next Thursday.

The shortage of labour throughout the country and the failure of the Government to direct labour to the city had forced the company to seek its own labour overseas, the manager of the mills (Mr H. Hall) said today.

At present, the company had its personnel officer. Mr A. S. Coughlin in Australia directing the recruitment. Mr Hall said the textile industry in Australia was having an extremely bad spell. Factories were only working three days in each week.

Earlier advertisements tn Australia had brought little response, but more advertisements two months ago had aroused numerous replies. It was an expensive way to bring labour to the factory, but it was one of the few ways, he said. After the arrival of the first batch of 15, the mills would be recruiting another 15 or 20 skilled persons for might work. Those Australians who were interested were attracted by the opportunities of f regular job and pay. as well as the opportunity of seeing New Zealand.

The company pays their air passage to New Zealand and the worker undertakes to work a' the mills for two years. “Worst Since War" Mr Hall said the labour situation in the country was the worst it had been since the war. The turnover of labour was costing the country millions of pounds each year.

The mills had a labour turnover appreciably less than many other concerns, especially some in the Lower Hutt not associated with the textile indqstry.

The turnover of some businesses was more than 300 per cent, each year. The mills had a turnover of between 40 and 50 per cent., a figuie much higher than it should have been.

The mills had a great amount of new and expensive equipment and the only way this could be run economically was by shift work. The mills were being asked by the Government and the Department of Industries and Commerce for increased production but was doing nothing to make labour available. Mr Hall said.

The present policy was an extension of the effort over many years to obtain overseas labour. The mills had a staff of 709 at present end outside of the Government Mr Hall thought it had the highest employing figure in the country.