THE DAY'S WORK

Grey River Argus, 5 March 1937, Page 3

THE DAY'S WORK

AT PLACEMENT OFFICES. (Our Own Correspondent). Long-distance Selection: WELLINGTON, February 29. Qualified ear upholsterers appear to be very scarce, and after hopeless quest himself, the proprietor of a West Coast business appealed to the local Placement Office to help him. The endless chain of the Placement Service was at once get in motion, but it was not until the- enquiries reached Taumarunui that a suitable worker was located. The prospective employer on the Coast was advised of his credentials, and within a few days the man had' been transferred from the relief ranks to full-time employment. Ability the Test: The Placement Service records show that the real test that employers in. sists upon when they engage a man is his ability t 0 do his job. Age is a secondary consideration, because the revival in trade an-d' industry has resulted iin the recall of a great number of men of sixty years and -upwards to assist in keeping the wheels moving, and almost invariably they have proved- remarkably efficient. A carpenter who had passed the three, score mark called at a Placement Offlee last week and announced that he had “just come in o n the off-chance” that there might be some work in his line but he didn’t expect there was. Particulars of hi s qualifications were taken, and within an hour he was at work on a building job and 1 somewhat astounded at the effectiveness of the enquiries made on -his behalf.

A “Flying Start”; It is inevitable that when disengaged men forgather at a Placement Office the principal topics of conversation are the prospects of getting private work, the latest placements, and “grapevine” rumours concerning vacancies. These subjects were competently dealt with on a recent morning, and amongst the flotsam and jetsam of opinion (wise and otherwise), informa, tion (mostly otherwise), and just plain gossip, a quiet man on the outward fringe of the group caught up a casual fragment -of news from a by. stander. It was to the effect that the landlord of a popular hostelry was in need of a porter. Slipping away from the crowd, the listener hurried to the hotel referred to. and, after explain, ing to mine host how he had heard of the- vacancy, offered his services. “Well” said the landlord, “you seem ,to be a live wire and deserve -help. The job’s yours”. A Job to Suit the Man:

There recently enrolled at a Placement Office a young man who, though minus a leg lost in an accident, had been making valiant efforts for two years to assist his father on the latter’s small farm. His artificial leg frequently failed him, however, and at last had' had to admit that he could no longer carry on as a farm hand. His father could not keep him, s 0 he turned to the Placement Service for help. It appeared l to be a hopeless case, but to Placement Officers no cases are beyond hope, and eventually this particular officer located a vacancy for a night operator at a taxi station, where hiis chief duty was to attend to the telephone and' see that the drivers carried out the orders re. eeiveid 1 . The ex-farm hand was recommended and he secured the posi. tion.

Diversity of Titles: There are apparently many, people who, unused' to letter-writing, become somewhat incoherent upon those occasions when a letter becomes necessary. The resultant epistle (is often difficult to understand, but the writers generally make praiseworthy efforts to, ensure ' that the envelopes are adequately addressed, even though the designations of the addressees are not quite orthodox. A'recent mail at the Auckland Placement Office contained several letters quaintly addressed. The captions on one from Australia read: ‘Lbour B'urau. c/- Trades Hall, Situations Vacant. New Zealand”. A second was directed': —“To the Government Motor Builder, Auckland. New Zealand.” Three others bore the imposing titles:—“Managing Director.” “Superintendent,” and “General Manager Placement Office.” while still another courteous address was:—“The Gentleman in Charge of the Placement Office.”