WOOLLEN MILL STAFFS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25660, 7 October 1944, Page 8

WOOLLEN MILL STAFFS

REPLY TO OWNERS’ COMPLAINT BENEFITS FROM MAN-POWER CONTROL (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Oct. 6. "I can only say that the resolution of the Woollen Mill Owners’’Association savours of very little grace coming from an industry so much indebted to this department, so dependent upon man-power control ana withal so uncompromising in its refusal :to co-operate. I am rather surprised' at such a view being expressed by an industryhvhich owes at least as much as any other to the very control- measures complained of.” states Mr H. L. Bockett. controller of man -power,; commenting to-day- on the- ; resolution of the New Zealand Woollen Mil! Owners Association concerning the industrial Man-power Regulations; - Mr Bockett said the owners' well knew that because of the. relatively, low wages prevailing in the' industry, the competition of 'other, industries, particularly for female labour, would have reduced them to an impossible position but for the very substantial help they had derived from the manpower control. Not only had their staffs been reasonably held together against the strong attractions of 'other industries, but those staffs had-’been built up and maintained by -the direction of considerable , numbers' 'of workers. .- :-r:

The majority of these directions into the woollen mills, Mr Bockett added, involved reductions of wages ■ : which the department had made good throughfinancial assistance, the amount paid: in respect of the woollen mills being' greater than for any other industry. The owners appeared ,to have over-, looked the fact that but for manpower control they could not have maintained even the barest minimum of staff without paying the bill' which, the department was’paying for them.:; The industry was. moreover, the only one which had refused to co-operate with the department. Mr Bockett concluded.. Although 23 industries had set up man-power-utilisation councils and committees representative of the industries concerned, the woollen mill owners, when asked to give similar cooperation.. had flatly refused. Theirs was the only-industry which had refused such an invitation.

The New Zealand Woollen Mill' Owners’ Association, at a general meeting. Passed the following resolution: — “This, meeting views with grave apprehension the operation of the industrial man-power regulations, which are causing a general lowering of efficiency, and asks for an immediate revision, of the regulations and of ..themethods of. administration, . particu-,: larly concerning industrial man-power appeal committees, whose, functions should be, exercised by a completely impartial authority.” ' .' I’ ,/:-. /