50-Hour Week

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 226, 19 June 1940, Page 11

50-Hour Week

Sir, —May I encroach upon your valuable column to mention an obvious way of increasing our war effort, which to me is very necessary at once, witli France fighting for her very existence and Britain badly needing our produce and every assistance we can give her. I listened with approval to Mr. Sullivan’s appeal regarding scrap and wastage being saved; also his appeal for more workers, but surely our leaders know that by increasing the 40-hour week to 50 hours with corresponding increase in pay, which no patriotic worker or employer would object to for the duration, will be equivalent to an increase in staff of one iu four. This must improve our production and war effort, not only by the extra hours worked, but by releasing many skilled tradesmen, mechanics, for instance, from their usual work for more essential war industries. Are 40 hours our maximum effort -when French women can maintain'a 10-hour day and our enemies exceed even that? ■Surely there has never been a graver hour for the Empire than the present. Are we going to get into our stride too late? Every patriotic person in the Dominion is asking this same question and dying to throw his weight into the struggle where it will do most good.— I am, etc., ENZED. Masterton, June 17.