IN RESERVED OCCUPATIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 4 August 1945, Page 4

IN RESERVED OCCUPATIONS

21,000 MEN IN NEW ZEALAND

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) Wellington, August 3. There were approximately 21,000 men eligible for military service in reserved occupations whose place* it was not at present possible to fill, the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) explained in the House of Representatives in the course of his speech on the future war effort of the Dominion. Of that number, he said. 9927 were single and 11.944 married men. Dealing with the manpower position he emphasised the problems of men for house building, farms, workshops, and sawmills and asked if the manpower position was not serious would tha Government tolerate for a moment thousands of men being leserved if they could be replaced? If anybody could tell him how those men could be initiated into the forces without production suffering tragically he would be glad. Of the 9927 single men 5828 were on farms, 570 in sawmilling and afforestation. 128 in building and construction, 932 in transport and communications, and 32 in the heat, light and power section. One gratifying feature was that there were only 113 single eligible men in Government departments, many of them in scientific work, such as radar. If the need for radar lessened those men could be made available for service. As far as farms were concerned no man would come off until he could be replaced because the number of men on farms was not adequate now. As far as men with two children were concerned everyone would want to say, do not send them at all if possible, but that was not possible at the moment. However, he did think the position of married men with two children should be considered if possible. The manpower authorities assured him that despite the number of men returning it was not possible to fill the places of most of the men reserved. But he was hoping that as the plan of reducing the forces was carried out industry would be assisted. In addition to the 20,000 men who would be coming back from the Middle East 6700 former prisoners of war would be returning. He could not imagine that with those numbers of men coming back and allowing for three months leave the position would not be assisted. One reason why there was a lag was that it had been tacitly agreed that men who had served overseas should not be directed unless in the last extremity. They ought to get every help to go into occupations suitable to them and direction and coercion had not been resorted to to any extent.