SOUTH AFRICA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20384, 22 October 1940, Page 11

SOUTH AFRICA

DETAILS OF WAR EFFORT VAST INDUSTRIAL ARMY ORGANISATION OF MEN For her war effort the Union of South Africa has organised essential industries in a manner which will continue to be an asset to the country long after peace returns. She has recruited a vast industrial army, on an extremely efficient and common sense basis. j Steel, coal and explosives <tre thej foundations on which South Africa’s j mighty industrial war effort rests. Butj the keystone of the entire structure isj man-power, released as enterprise and labour. Without an industrial army there could be no fighting army. South Africa is fighting with vo armies—-the Mobile Fieid Force in the north, and the army of industrialises and workers on the home front. The industrial army can be divided into two sections: organisers and workers. At the head of the organising section is Dr. IT. J. van der Bijl. Director-General of War Supplies, assisted by some of the best organising brains of the Union’s industrial life. He has formed a panel of experts to assist him, and their serivees are usually given voluntarily. Recruiting l'or Industry A vast army of workmen, skilled and semi-skilled, is needed to turn the Unions industrial war machine. They are being obtained in three ways. In ‘.he first place, the trade unions have allowed dilution of labour; in the second nlace, skilled workmen are prevented, as far as possible, from ioining the fighting army, and thirdly, thousands of youths are being trained as semi-skilled workers under Dr. van der Bijl’s central organisation for technical training. By allowing the dilution of labour the trade unions have voluntarily waived one of their most jealouslyguarded rights l’or the duration of the war. Men and women who have not served their full period of apprenticeship arc allowed to do skilled and semi-skilled work—on the one condition. that there shall be no undercutting of wages, but that they shall receive lull union rates. The lesult is inspiring. In hundreds of factoiies can be seen youths and gk'ls doing skilled repetition work. Skilled Workers Retained The Director-General of War Supplies has his own Exemptions Committee to ensure that no man essential to the engineering trade shall join the fighting forces till he can be spared, and to see that the industries have the minimum numbers of workers they require. Theirs is a difficult task. At least 90 per cent of workers are aching to go north, but the interests of the country demand that they snail not. When men are exempted they are asked to attest for service anywhere in Africa. When such attested men are no longer required in industry they can be called up, subject to medical examination, for service in a technical unit of the army. The defence authorities are notified of exempted men and then no recruiting station will accept them for military services. Employers are lequued to advise the tribunal within 24 hours when any exempted man resigns from their staffs. If the man can be traced he continues to be employed for essential work, or, if he has attested, he may be called up for service in a technical unit of the army. Training for Youth The third method by which rnen are recruited for the army on the home front is the technical training scheme, the true value of which will be realised when the war is over. Under this scheme thousands of young men, from the country as well as from the cities arc trained in semi-skilled work. They are given a trade at which they will be able to work when peace conditions return. Every six months 3000 men ranging from 18 to 45 years in age—but mostly boys—will receive an intensive course of technical training. Every year South African industry will be enriched at least by 0000 technicians.

Every recruit to the course of basic training undertakes to serve in either a military technical unit or in war production work for a period of four years, or for the duration of the war. whichever may be the shorter. A young man, unmarried and living at home, will receive during his period of basic training £2 2s a week. A married man with one child will receive £3 3s a week. If he has to live away from home he receives lodging allowance in addition amounting to 2s 6d a day. The scheme will not interfere with the rights of the trade unions. Usually a skilled worker must serve an apprenticeship of five years. Under the scheme a man will have to serve four years in addition to his basic training —a saving of six months. Should the war lost less than four years, the Defence Department has undertaken to demobilise in such a way that all these men will have the opportunity of completing their four years’ service and so be assured of a career.