MANPOWER RAIDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24851, 24 March 1944, Page 2

MANPOWER RAIDS

CITiY BILLIARD SALOONS MANY MEN QUESTIONED The search for absentees from woik, and otiier industrial defaulters, was extended by the National Service Department in Auckland yesterday, when investigating officers visited billiard saloons. Accompanied by constables, the parties set out in the afternoon and went through four saloons in Queen Street and adjoining streets. Large numbers of men were questioned, but,few absentees were found. Many accounted for their presence in the saloons by stating that wet weather had prevented them from working. They included building and drainage ! employees and others whose work is done out of doors. In cases where satisfactory explanations, accompanied by documentary evidence, were giY en > no action was taken, but about oo names were recorded for further investigation. In addition to the recent visits made to morning and afternoon sessions at picture theatres, officers of the department have continued to pay attention to the lounges of hotels. The first manpower raid on city hotels was xnade last June and since then regular visits have taken place to keep a check on female defaulters. Over 1000 interviews have been conducted as a result of these visits and about 10 per cent of the women have been made available for direction to essential work. ALIENS IN DOMINION ARRIVALS DURING WAR SETTING UP IN BUSINESS (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Thursday Notice of his intention to ask for a return showing the number of aliens who have passed the Customs since the outbreak of war was given by Mr. K. J. | Holyoake (Opposition—Pahiatua) in the | House of Representatives to-day. He | also sought information as to how many | of these aliens had received licences or permits to set up in businesses or proi fessions in New Zealand, and how many ! had received import licences on the {grounds of hardship or on any other grounds. j Mr. Holyoake also gave notice of a i question in which he drew the attention I of the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. j Fraser, to a report of a meeting of the | Auckland Returned Services Association i at which great concern was expressed at | the fact that both friendly and enemy i aliens were being allowed to set up in ! business while returned servicemen often i found great difficulty in doing "so. The i meeting had passed a resolution urging | that a Royal Commission be 6et up to investigate the position. Mr. Holyoake asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the widespread concern over this question, he would set up a Royal Commission as suggested at an early date. STATE MINERS WORKING SEVEN TO BE DISMISSED (0.C.) GREYMOUTH, Thursday The two State coal mines in the Runanga district were worked satisfactorily to-day by the employees. The 56 men who returned homo yesterday morning followiug the stop-work meeting at the Liverpool mine returned to work this morning. A further meeting was held at the bath-house, when the men concerned were asked to sign an agreement that in future they would abide _by the majority decision of the union and would honour the arrangement made with the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, by the executive of the union. All but' seven of the men complied. These seven will receive _ dismissal notices, making them available either for the armed forces or for other essential work. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ESSENTIAL BUSINESS ONLY (0.C.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Thursday Travel restrictions have been further tightened by the Railway Department, according to instructions received by officers of the department at New Plymouth. The only persons who may now ibe granted permission to travel more I than 50 miles by rail are those who have to attend to business of a nature essential to the war effort, and those for whom journeys are declared by doctors to be urgent. Permits are also allowed in genuine cases of death or serious illness of near relatives. Searching inquiries are made in every case, however, and all permits, are being carefully checked. GIRL STEALS TEAPOT INCITED BY MOTHER (0.C.) HAMILTON, Thursday An unusual case came before the Hamilton Police Court to-day, when a girl of IS was charged with the theft of a teapot and water jug. Her mother admitted a charge of receiving the goods knowing them to have been stolen. Detective-Sergeant W. R. Murray said that the elder accused had two daughters working at Palmerston North. She wrote to one daughter requesting her to ask the other to "pinch" a teapot for her from a tearoom where she worked. The girl obeyed her mother and the pot and jug were found at the mother's home. Mr. King said the elder accused was the mother of six children and was in humble circumstances. The whole family bore excellent characters. Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., described the case as very serious. It was very sad indeed for a child who was entitled to proper guidance to be incited to steal. The girl deserved a great deal of sympathy. She would be discharged under the First Offenders Probation Act without penalty. When the magistrate mentioned that his first determination was to send the mother to prison, the elder accused collapsed. Mr. Paterson later decided to admit her to probation for two years, with a special condition that the child welfare officer should co-operate with the probation office in supervising the accused's home to ensure the proper upbringing of the children. He ordered the suppression of the names of both, accused.