BRITISH ARMS OUTPUT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 216, 10 August 1940, Page 7

BRITISH ARMS OUTPUT.

SKILLED MEN NEEDED. MORE TRAINING CENTRES. (British Official Wireless.) ItUGBV, Aug. 8. The need for a continuous and increasing stream of skilled workers to maintain Britain’s ever-growing arms production was stressed by the Munster of Labour (Mr E. Bevin) in Ins statement in the House of Commons. He pointed out that the needs of an expanding mechanical army would call hack to military service many men who had been temporarily released to factories, and he emphasised the importance of actual workshop training for replacements and new entrants into ( the armament industries. Admitting that training Bi the workshops resulted in an immediate sacrifice of production, Mr Bevin said this sacrifice was both short in time and small in volume, and would be made up very quickly. . “The Government is satisfied, ne continued, “that the war is not going to end in the immediate future, and it is, therefore, of vital importance to initiate now the necessary steps not only to make good temporary losses, but also to ensure greatly accelerated production later.” Mr Bevin intimated that the scheme of Government training centres would be expanded and expressed the hope that the number would increase irom the 19 at present to 40. Men and women were being trained at theso centres in about four months, and the present output was about 100,000 trained personnel yearly. Ibis would be doubled if his hope of 40 training centres was realised. Taken in conjunction with Air Bevin’s statement, the announcement bv the Ministry of Labour that up to July 11 over 30.000 skilled men who were not considered operationally vital to the army had been temporarily returned to industry is of added interest. Over 3000 wore released between June 10 and July 11, and a detailed “comb out” of men who, before joining the army, were regularly employed in certain occupations is being undertaken.

ENGINEERS TO REGISTER. Received August 10, 11 a.m. 1 LONDON, Aug. 9. An industrial registration order requires the registration of men between 21 and 05 who have worked for 12 months during the past decade in the engineering and allied trades. Hundreds of thousands of men arc involved, of whom 300,000 not at present engaged in governmental work will he available for transfer to war industries. .