USE OF WOMANPOWER

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 269, 9 August 1943, Page 6

USE OF WOMANPOWER

Wastage Alleged By Manufacturers TOO MANY THOUGHT TO BE IN FORCES The feeling that there is at present a wastage of womanpower has been expressed by the council of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, winch has asked the Prime Minister to have reviewed immediately both the numbers and the occupations of women in the forces. . , , , The federation had on a number of occasions drawn the Prime Minister’s attention to alleged wastage of manpower in the Army, said the secrtcary of the federation, Mr. D. I. Macdonald, on Saturday. The position arising from the increased use of women in the forces, had been referred to in those representations. The council expressed a desire at its recent meeting to present to the Prime Minister for his urgent consideration several points regarding the employment of members of the W.A.A.C., the W.R.N.S., and W.A.A.F. The federation appreciated the desirability, within the 'limits of efficiency, of employing women to replace men where the work in the forces was suitable for that replacement. It also realized that the . withdrawal of men from the Army for industry had in some directions only been made possible by the alternative employment of women. In making its representations to the Prime Minister the federation said there were already indications that more women had been taken into the forces than could be efficiently employed, with a consequent wastage of womanpower. On the other band, there were many empty benches and idle machines in factories which could otherwise lie producing substantially increased quantities of civilian requirements that were urgently needed. The federation suggested, therefore, that immediate stops be taken to review both the numbers and the occupations of women in the forces with a view to releasing those who were redundant. It was also strongly of the opinion that while the review and combing out were being arranged, further enlistment of women in the forces should cease. While perhaps few women had been taken from productive industries for the forces they had been drawn from the general pool of labour which could otherwise have been available for industry. "From all over New Zealand,” the federation’s statement added, “we have evidence of the critical situation which is developing because of the shortage of factory manpower and womanpower. Not only essential civilian production,, but in some cases actual war production, is threatened because of this shortage.” , Labour Resolution.

The National Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour adopted the following resolution at a recent meeting: —“That this meeting views with concern the grave shortage of. female workers in secondary industries and with the view of seeing whether it is possible to utilize some of the women that are in the Armed Forces we ask the Government to make :i complete investigation into the utilization of women in the Armed 'Forces."