SUPPLY EQUAL TO DEMAND

Southland Times, Issue 23838, 8 June 1939, Page 6

SUPPLY EQUAL TO DEMAND

FEMALE LABOUR IN INVERCARGILL POSITION BETTER THAN IN NORTHERN CENTRES Although it has been reported from Christchurch that there is a great shortage of female labour for factories, particularly in the North Island, Invercargill manufacturers are in a much better position. Inquiries made in Invercargill yesterday showed that in most cases there was enough labour available to meet vacancies but it was stated that there was not an abundance. “We are able to keep our plant fully occupied and fill occasional vacancies. At busy periods, however, it becomes evident that the supply of labour is just sufficient to meet the demand,” said one manufacturer.

The proposed plan to bring skilled girl factory workers to New Zealand from Australia and Great Britain was referred to the manager of an Invercargill woollen mill. He said that his firm had always had difficulty in getting the required number of skilled hands and had never actually been able to build up a skilled staff big enough to work the plant at its top capacity. He thought that the mill could absorb at least eight skilled female workers, particularly in the weaving branch of the plant. “However, there is this way to look at it,” he said. “If a worker in Australia is skilled enough and efficient enough she would not have to come to New Zealand to find suitable work in the trade. There are plenty of opportunities in Australia for good operatives and conditions are very good there in the modern and up-to-date factories. It has been our experience that the workers available for transfer, apart from those who want a change for personal reasons, are usually not efficient enough to command the higher wage where they are.” Other manufacturers reported that the female labour position in Invercargill, as compared with northern centres, was very satisfactory. NO SHORTAGE OF NURSES There is no shortage of nurses at the Southland Hospital, Kew, although it has been reported that hospitals in northern centres are having difficulty in finding the required number of nurses. There is a satisfactory number of probationers of a good type on the Southland Hospital’s waiting list. Difficulty had been experienced in maintaining the trained nursing staff at the hospital, but the position was rapidly rectifying itself. It was explained that the Southland Hospital had to supply four out-stations, Riverton, Gore, Frankton and the Dee street hospital, with trained nurses and this had drawn heavily on the supply. However, the out-stations were now building up permanent staffs and the demand on the Southland Hospital’s supply of trained nurses would practically cease. Occasionally a nurse would accept another position, but a satisfactory number of trainees was coming on to keep the staff up to the required strength.