CATEGORY “A” MEN IN KEY JOBS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 120, 16 February 1944, Page 6

CATEGORY “A” MEN IN KEY JOBS

Replacement Urged

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, February 15.

A decision to request the Government to take early steps to train returned men from the present war for positions at present held by category “A” men who, it was stated, were being withheld from service with the Armed Forces because they were key men, was’agreed to by the executive of the Dunedin Returned Services Association tonight. It was stated that though the war had been in progress for nearly five years no attempt had br-t-n made to replace men held on appeal because they filled responsible positions and it was decided to ask the Government to fix an absolute limit of six months on the present exemption of those men. “I feel that a strong public demand exists for a more searching review of the cases of all single category ‘A’ meu who are held on appeal,” said the president, Mr. C. R. McLean "There is _a widespread feeling iu the community that many of these men can be spared from industry. It might be claimed in some quarters that transfer of these men, or any considerable section of them, to the Armed Forces would seriously impede our war effort on the home front, but there is a strong public feeling that many of these men can. and must, be spared. A recent official statement by the Minister of Rehabilitation indicated that no fewer than 33,093 men and women had been demobilized up to the end of November, 1943. The number must now be considerably in excess of that, and while we must sympathize with the difficulties of employers the release of so pinny men must, have given relief in many directions. It was represented to me in Central Otago recently by some returned mon that whereas they had no difficulty prior to the war in getting rabbiting (-blocks they now find the greatest difficulty because the blocks are largely held by men who have been held or released on appeal. Two specific cases have been quoted and are now being investigated.” Mr. D. Forsyth said that the Government had held back key.men for nearly five years, mid during that, period nothing had been done to train returned mon, or men not eligible for military service, to take the places of young single men who were so held. ‘