GIRLS FOR FACTORIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23828, 7 June 1939, Page 12

GIRLS FOR FACTORIES

AN ACUTE SHORTAGE SKILLED LABOUR FROM BRITAIN PLANS NOW UNDER WAY (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, June 6. Plans are now under way to bring to New Zealand skilled girl factory workers from Great Britain and Australia. Female labour for factories has become so hard to find that this step is being taken at once. At the same time requests are now before the Minister of Labour (Mr P. C. Webb) for an extension of the adult apprenticeship subsidy scheme to cover women workers. If this extension is granted it will be practicable to employ unskilled women who are over 21 years of age. The shortage of female labour is reported to be causing embarrassment to manufacturers, particularly in the North Island. Clothing and footwear factories are probably the most directly affected, opera r tions in many factories having been delayed for lack of skilled girl workers. The shortage of girl workers applies not only to factories. Hospitals all over the country are having difficulty in finding all the nurses they need and there are still comparatively few girls and women willing to do domestic work. The Government has been approached by home service associations in various centres with a request that the system of assisted passages for domestic workers from England should be reintroduced. The request is under consideration by the Government.