TIMBER INDUSTRY

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 November 1944, Page 2

TIMBER INDUSTRY

TRAINING RETURNED SOLDIERS. WELLINGTON, November 9. “The timber industry has supplied many of its skilled workers to the armed forces, and is now finding great difficulty in replacing them at a time when the acute housing shortage calls for greatly increased timber supplies,” said the Minister of_ Rehabilitation (Mr. Skinner), in a statement. “After discussions with representatives of employers and employees, the Rehabilitation Board has decided to offer subsidies for the training of various classes of inexperienced or slightly experienced returned servicemen desiring to enter the industry. Subsidy rates have been approved based on gross weekly rates —including cost of living allowances—of £5/5/- a week for the first six months and £5/7/6 for the next six months. For training in bush work the subsidy will be 35/- for three months, and will cover felling and crossing-cutting, and breakingout, roping, and bush tractor and hauler driving. In sawmills a subsidy of 35/- for three months will be paid for the training of breakingdown operatives, while for breast bench and gang sawyers the subsidy will be £l/1/- for three months. “Returned servicemen wishing to train as planing mill and box factory machinists will be covered by a subsidy of £2/12/6 for the first four months, 35/10 for the second four months, and 21/6 for the third four months. Training will include the operation and setting up of all machines, and the grinding of knives and cutters.

“A 12 months’ course in saw doctoring is provided for,” said the Minister, “to be taken at the Waipa State sawmill, near Rotorua. The subsidy will be £5/5/- for the first period of three months, £2/12/0 for the second period, £l/15/10 for the third, and £l/1/6 for the fourth term. There will also be a limited mumber of vacancies for training as drying kiln operatives on the technical side. The course will be split into three four-monthly periods, the subsidy being £2/12/6 for the first, £l/15/10 for the second, and £l/1/6 for the last period. “There will be a large expansion in forestry activities after the war,” said the Minister. “The State Forest Service alone is now planning numerous forestry and industrial developments, which, as rehabilitation projects, are expected to result in an increase of day-wage employees from 1600 before the war to about 5000 in a relatively short time after the end of hostilities. Local bodies and forestation companies are also planning for post-war expansion, and will need a large number of trained and skilled workers. The timber trade itself is expected to expand by about 25 per cent, on the pre-war level, and to .offer good opportunities for skilled logging and milling operatives of all classes.”