POWER IN INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 126, 24 November 1941, Page 6

POWER IN INDUSTRY

The possibility of employing women in industry was discussed by the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation at its annual conference. The brief report does not indicate what scope was seen for further replacement of men by women, or what female labour was available to meet the demand. The federation, however, resolved that, in view of the Dominion's man-power commitments for defence purposes both overseas and in New Zealand, with the consequent substantial withdrawal of workers from industry, and the necessity for, maintaining production, Government departments and workers' and employers' organisations concerned should immediately give attention to ways of facilitating temporary and wider utilisation of women in industry as a wartime measure. This' is wholly general in terms, with no indication of where the women could be found or where they would be used. More exact information is needed on both these points. Probably it will be said that thousands more women workers could be employed. The advertisements of vacant situations support that. But all work is not of equal urgency or equal national importance, and if the labour is to be found by taking married women -with children from their homes this course is justifiable only if the work is of national value.

The Minister of Labour, in addressing the federation last week, spoke of such means of securing labour. Commending the splendid work done by women in a munition factory, he said:

Many of them leave their children with friends to go to the factory. They are sacrificing home life to the needs of the nation. The work of the women of New Zealand is magnificent. The Government may have to arrange some form of nurseries where philanthropic women can care for the infants of those doing war wor£. We have a huge reservoir to draw on. and the services of willing women workers could well be used.

It seems contradictory to speak of a huge reservoir to draw on, and, at the same time, to suggest public nurseries for the care of infants while mothers are at work. It may become necessary to adopt such measures. Many mothers are working in British factories, but we believe that New Zealand can and should take other measures before doing this. Is all the work on which women are now engaged as important as the care of home and children? Can it be claimed that the production of goods for all civil "purposes is so urgent? Are there not goods that could be spared, rather than deprive infants of mother-care? Before any large-scale attempt is made to bring mothers into factories, there should be full investigation of the possibility of transferring women now working from less essential to more essential industries.

Moreover,' it must not be forgotten that there has yet been no general extension of working hours. If the drastic measures spoken of by Mr. Webb are really called for, there can be no case whatever for maintaining the peacetime luxury of the 40----hour jveek. The Minister may say that the hours can be extended now where national urgency is proved in an industry. But one of the best ways of increasing labour for nationally urgent industries is to release workers from less essential occupations by extending the hours. This should be done before extending the working hours of mothers.