ESSENTIAL WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 265, 8 October 1942, Page 2

ESSENTIAL WORK

REGISTRATION EXTENDED. 51 TO 59~YEARS. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 8. All men aged 51 to 59 inclusive, and male aihtis of military age, are required to register for essential work under two orders signed to-day by the Minister of Industrial Manpower (Mr McLagan). In a statement Mr McLagan said there are many men in New Zealand to-day who may not be actively engaged in essential work but who are quite fit for useful work. At the same time there are heavy demands tor workers in a wide range of essential industries and men are being held back from the Armed Forces because of these labour shortages. The mobolisation of older men and their diversion in suitable cases from non-essential to essential work would enable many of these younger men to be released for the Forces and constitutes a further major step towards the realisation of a total war effort. "All men, whether British or alien, Maori or pakeha, who come within the ages of 51 to 59 are affected by the order," said Mr McLagan, who added, however, that men coming under the following categories will be exempted: Those already engaged in work of national importance, those rendering continuous service with any of the Armed Forces, policemen, full-time firebrigadesmen, working owners or managers of farms, miners, railwaymen, seamen, those engaged in the production or supply of gas and electricity, medical practitioners, dentists and dental mechanics, Judges and magistrates, members of the General Assembly, ministers of religion, invalid beneficiaries and war pensioners receiving pensions assessed at not less than 75 per cent., inmates of hospitals, mental hospitals, blind institutes and prisons. Should anyoiio ceaso to be included in ono of these categories ho must register within ecvon days, the Minister added. Referring to tho registration of aliens aged IB to 45 inclusive, i\lr McLagan said aliens who are not naturalised British subjects had in the past not been obliged to ronder military service in the samo way as British subjects, though in a few cases they had been accepted for the Forces on a voluntary basis. In order to avoid tho anomalous position of calling on all British subjects who were not lcquired by the Forces to render national service through working in essential industries while aliens who were not required to render military service were not called upon to contribute in any other way to the war offort, it had been decided that these aliens should now be placed on exactly the samo footing as all other members of the community and should accordingly be liable for direction into whatever work the national interest demanded. Tho present order brought all aliens of military ago under the control of the National Service Department as regards their employment, in tho samo way as those over military age who were covered by other registration orders. The exempted classes of alions between 18 and 45 were thoso rendering continuous service or employed as civilians with any of the Armed Forces, seamen, invalids and war pensioners receiving pensions awessed at not lea? than 75 per cent., and inmates of hospitals, blind institutes, mental hospitals and prisons.