MAN-POWER COMMITTEE

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 June 1942, Page 4

MAN-POWER COMMITTEE

SITTING AT GREYMOUTH.

A sitting of the No. 9a Man Power Committee. Messrs W. Meldrum (Chairman), P. J. McLean and A. Panther, with Mr. C. F. Shapcott as Secretary is being held at Greymouth to-day, with 59 appeals scheduled to be heard. Lieut. G. Howes watched proceedings for the Army Department. The following cases were disposed of before the "Star" went to press this afternoon:— The following appeals by the Railways Department (represented by Mr. P. H. Morey, District Engineer) were adjourned sine die:—Gordon Max King, William John James Millar, Jack Jordan. Edward George Ashby, all surfacemen, Frederick Henry Goodall, bridgeman. and William Owen Williams, carpenter. In the case of Ralph Hazeldirie, surfaceman. who has been employed for only one year, the appeal was adjourned for three months for review. The Director tor National Service

(for Railways Department) appealed for Frank Reginald Aldridge, lorry driver. Evidence was given by Mr. H. W. Grant that reservist was a driver at Hari Hari. and that the lorry driving staff at Hari Hari was down to an absolute minimum. Reservist was engaged mainly on the cartage of timber. Housing accom-

modation was not available for a married driver there. —Adjourned for three months for review. 'rhe Director (for the Railways Department) appealed for Ernest Wm. Taylor, service car driver, stationed at Rimu. and for Horace William Wilde, service car driver. employed on the Blackball service. Evidence was given by Mr. H. W. Grant. —Both were adjourned for three months for review. The Director (for the Railways Department) appealed for Edward Frank Eatwell. labourer. Evidence was given by Mr. E. R. Lattimer that reservist was a holder-up in the workshops since October, 1941, and was also a relieving hydraulic crane driver. He was classed as a skilled Crane driver. It was impossible to get young men for labouring work in the workshops, and the only men the Placement office had been able to give him lately had been two over 50 years of age. Reservist had passed the examination for hydraulic crane drivers. Previously he had nine men capable of driving the cranes on the wharf, and now he had only six. To Mr. Shapcott. witness said he did not know what job reservist was doing before he joined the railways staff. It would not surprise him to know that reservist had been an insurance agem. as he was only interested. at the time in the fact that he had secured another man for his staff. He had exhausted all possibilities of getting a man as a relieving crane driver. To Mr. Panther:—There had not been much overtime worked in the fitting shops lately. 11 was decided to adjourn the appeal for three months for review, with an intimation that every effort be made to replace reservist in the interim. The Railways Department appealed for David Edwin Garing (porter, 12 years 10 months service). Arthur Dewhurst Marsden (porter, 3 years 5 months), George Wright (porter. 12 years 1 month), Russell Plato (porter 12 years 1 month), and Charles Edward Watson (porter. 12 years 9 months).— Adjourned sine die. Giving evidence in regard to the appeals for porters, Mr. G. H. McLean. District Railways Traffic Alan-

ager. stated that all permanent Dorter's in Greymouth were now engaged partly on shunting. He added that the Department had been able to release a certain number of porters who were under adjournment, for

service. The Secretary said he had been requested to ask if a porter’s work required any special qualifications. Mr. McLean said mat men were

taken on without any special qualifications. but the men were trained and they thus acquired qualifications

The Department had begun to replace porters with girls, but girls could not be expected to do shunting work. The girls who were employed as porters were doing platform work and parcels. In about three weeks they would start putting girls on at Greymouth.

To Mr. Panther: He could release live porters at Greymouth by girls, and steps were being taken to do that.

The Director (for the Railways Department) appealed lor Robert Charles White (clerk, 12 years 10 months service). Mr. G. H. McLean said that reservist was a trained clerk in charge of records and household removals. He was on that work purely as a part of his department experience, and it might be necessary to place him on work of a different nature at any time. He had gone as far as was practicable in replacing male clerks at Greymouth with girls, but it was extremely difficult to get girls with the necessary experience to take responsible positions.—The appeal was adjourned sine die.

An appeal for Cyril Boys, clerk at Otira, with 14 years and 10 months service, by the Railways Department, was adjourned sine die. 'Hie Greymouth Evening Star Coy. (Mr. C. R. McGinley) appealed for Oswald John Morris, journalist. Evidence was given by Mr. A. J. Wilson, manager of the company, that reservist had been employed since 1932. One of the three members of the reporting staff was on Army service, and the other member had resigned to enter business on his own account. Reservist was the only one remaining. Efforts to get replacements through the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association had been unsuccessful. It was essential that the company have at least two capable reporters.—The appeal was adjourned sine die. An appeal by the Dispatch Foundry for R. A. Ramsay, apprentice boilermaker, was adjourned for two months for review, an application to that effect being made by the manager of the company, Mr. W. P. Hambleton.

The District Public Trustee (Mr W. Millier) appealed for Edward Thomas Baird, business manager. Witness said the store (at Reefton) had been carried on under the supervision of the Public Trustee since 1936. It was a general country store. It was not possible to get a man to replace reservist, who had only a boy of 15 years to assist him. He haa not advertised for a replacement, but the secretary of the Grocers’ Association had told him there was no chance of getting a man, —The appeal was adjourned for three rnontns lor review.

The Director (for the Public Works Dc-pai tment) appealed lor Floyd Davis West, senior linesman, Evidence, was given by the Resident Electrical Engineer, Mr A. E. Davenport.—Adjourned sine die. An appeal by the Post and Telegraph Department for James Phillips Richmond, postmaster at Runanga for a postponement of service for three months was granted, evidence being given by Mr A. W. Swap. Chief Postmaster at Greymouth. Kaye and' Party applied to adopt an appeal previously lodged by tnc Public Works Department for Raydon Harcourt Washer, diamond driller. The application was granted. The, Secretary stated that reservist had since been employed by the Mines Department as a diamond driller, and now had purchased a share in Kaye and Party's co-opera-tive coal mine. James Neilson,'manager of the mine, gave evidence that Washer was to start in the mine on Monday, hav-

mg bought the share of a man who had gone to the State mines. As far as he know, reservist had no previous coal-miliing experience. The party hud only live men working. Mrs Kaye was a shareholder, but could not get a man to work her share. Witness was working manager Mr C. J. Strongman, Suoerintendeul of State Mines, said he thought ma reservist had been wrongly ciamiiied. He had been trained by the* Slate Mines as a litter. The State Mines wouid keep him if they could, but they could not slop his going into another mine. A man of reservist’s ability was essential to a mine-, as lbw miners could not carry

on unless they had the staff behind them.

The appeal was adjourned sine die. State Coal Mines Department appealed for Percy Outhwaite, manager ol' the Strongman and James Stale Collieries. Evidence Wzis given by Mr C. J. Strongman (Superintendent of State Mines). —Adjourned sine die.

Currie and Party appealed for John Dermitt McManus, coal miner. E\ idence was given by Mr W. Currie that McManus was a wages man. employed by the Party for the past 12 months, and with previous expedience tit tiie Strongman mine.— Adjourned sine die. SAWMILL APPEALS. The West Coast Sawmillers' Association (Mr J. S. Robertson) appealed for Victor Sianway, tractor driver, with 61 years' service with the Greenstone Company.—Adjourned sine die. The West Coast Sawmillers’ Association (Mr J. S. Robertson) appealed tor Maxwell Frank Laugeson, docker, with over two years’ service with the Luke Brunner Company.—Adjourned sine die. An appeal by the Sawmillers’ As-

sociation for Patrick Henry Pugh, mill hand, was supported by Mr F. L. Purley, and evidence was also given by Mr J. S. Robertson. It was stated that Pugh was previously a farm worker, and had been employed in a mill since February 18, 19’42. He was 18 years of age.—The appeal was adjourned sine die. Appeals by the West Coast Sawmillers’ Association for the release from camp of Henry Daniel Oquist, tram layer, and George Henry Ord. lailer-out, were adjourned to enable the Association to secure further information. Mr Robertson said his Linormation was lo the effect that both, had been employed by the New Forest Company for several years prior to entering camp. The Secretary said that according to the files, Ord, when he was called to camu for collective training, had been appealed lor by the Blackball State Mine, as a lorry driver, and that Oquist had stated at the time ol his medical examination that he was a labourer employed by W. T. Robin at Ikamatua.

An appeal by the Association for Ronaid James Coleman, bushman, employed for the past live years by the Lake Brunner Company, was adjourned sine die. An appeal by the Association for Clifford Boyd Ogilvie, stacker, was also adjourned sine die. It was stated that reservist started with Malfroy and Co. in January, 1941, and he had been laid up for some months on account of an injury. He had returned to work as a docker and yard hand on February 18, 1942. The- release from camp of Robert Aynsley, loco tractor driver, employed for three and a-half years, .before entering camp, was recommended, on the application of the Association.

Brunner Collieries Ltd (Mr J. S. Robertson) appealed for George 'William James Todd, clerk. Mr Robertson stated that reservist had oeen employed by tne Company tor the past. 11l years, and was a key man. Ho was engaged in general office work, and also in the buying of all stock and the shipping of coai. In the mine office, there' were a mine clerk, the reservist, and a typist.— The appeal was adjourned sine die.