CHILDREN IN INDUSTRY

Grey River Argus, 19 May 1943, Page 6

CHILDREN IN INDUSTRY

REPLY TO ALLEGATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

SYDNEY, May 13

Australian children would not be forced i'nto industry, declared the Director-General of Manpower (Mr. Wurth). He challenged a statement by Mr. Henderson at the meeting of the Australian Newspaper Proprietors’ Association. Mr. Henderson said: “In the last few weeks we have seen power exercised to force children to register with the Manpower authorities, and some of them had to attend on these gentlemen for the purpose of being directed into industry." Children over 17 must register, said Mr. Wurth, but registration was in the child’s interest. In common with everyone else every; child had to apply t 0 the National Service Office if he wanted employment. It was a commonsense, time-saving procedure to*, obtain mass registration at once rather than have these registrations made individually. Each child’s qualifications and aptitude would be considered to keep him out of a dead-end job. Mr. Henderson said; “Mr. Wurth is ouibbline. His own statement shows that children are required to register, and. if desiring emnloyment, must apply to the National Service Office.”