PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 April 1940, Page 10

PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES

INCREASE SINCE WAR STARTED.

[I’EB PBE6B ASSOCIATION.]

CHRISTCHURCH, April 15

A statement to the National Recruiting Council ,by Mr. S. G. Holland, M.P., that there- were more men on public works now than there were before the war, though 13,000 men had gone into camp, drew a reply from the Minister for Manpower, Mr. Webb. The message was sent from Wellington through the Press Association, and Mr. Holland complained today that it was manifestly unfair to publish the Minister’s reply without publishing the statement to which the reply was made.

“The subject of maintaining production was being discussed by the council,” said Mr. Holland, “and I pointed out to the council that it was useless to expect production to increase while the Government continued to attract men on to public works by offering higher wages and shorter hours than could be paid on farms. I drew attention to the fact that more men were on public works in the middle of last Summer (December) than in the middle of last Winter (June). I also drew the attention of the conference to the fact that in spite of hundreds of public works employees having joined the forces, there were more men on public works, in January, 1940, than there were the month before the war broke out, that is, in August.” Mr. Holland then quoted the following figures from the Abstract of Statistics for February:—

Public Works '' employees June, 1939 .. .. 21,653 December, 1939 .. 21,720' August, 1939 .. 21,076 January, 1940 .. 21,198 « “It will be seen that the total has increased in spite of 13,000 or more able-bodied young men having gone into camp,” Mr. Holland concluded.