MAN-POWER DIRECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25514, 19 April 1944, Page 4

MAN-POWER DIRECTION

JOHN HOGAN'S APPEAL DISMISSED INTENTION TO DISOBEY ORDER (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Apl. 18. The appeal by John Hogan against the man-power direction to work in the Wellington Woollen Company’s mills as a factory hand has been dismissed. The Industrial Man-power Committee reserved its decision following the hearing of thq case yesterday. In a statement to-night Mr Hogan said: “It have no intention of submitting to the direction, which is nothing less than a back-handed attempt to close up my paper and ruin my business.”

When the case was heard on Monday, Mr Hogan, who is the publisher of the paper Democracy, claimed that political considerations were behind the man-power direction. He said that 'the editing and publication of his paper was a full-time job. 1 The paper had been banned until a little more than a year ago, and since then it had been considerably enlarged. The man-power officer, Mr Brennan, said there was a serious shortage of labour in the Wellington mills. There were 13 grade £ men awaiting their call-up into the army, but it had been postponed because of the shortage of labour. The appellant was grade II for military purposes.