DIRECTION OF MANPOWER

Southland Times, Issue 25835, 21 November 1945, Page 3

DIRECTION OF MANPOWER

CESSATION BY NEXT MARCH Progressive Steps In Abolition

DATE FOR HOSPITALS END OF FEBRUARY (PA.) WELLINGTON, November 20. Details of the progressive steps to be taken during the next few months, whereby by the end of March next manpower direction will be abolished in practically all industries and undertakings, were given by the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when the House of Representatives proceeded today to discuss the report of the National Service Department. A feature of Mr Fraser’s statement was that direction to general and mental hospitals is to cease at the end of February. Such industries as dairy factories, timber milling, coal mining and freezing works are also to be freed from the direction of labour by March 31 if possible. Mr Fraser said the removal of manpower controls must obviously be done progressively. He pointed out that within a month of the end of European hostilities the Government announced the first relaxations of manpower control, which took effect at the end of June. Within six weeks after the surrender of Japan more than 200,000 people had been placed in the exempted classes. That exemptions had been stretched as far as possible at that point was apparent from the difficulties which resulted in certain industries. The pool of labour subject to direction now included only single women aged from 18 to 29 years and men aged from 18 to 45 years, other than returned servicemen. This pool was only just sufficient to meet the more urgent continuing needs of essential industries at present. Mr Fraser said that while the pool of persons subject to direction had been fairly drastically cut back, the field of industries declared essential had also been steadily reduced until by the middle of November declarations of essentiality over 11,000 undertakings employing more, than 70,000 people had been revoked. DECEMBER REVOCATIONS

Mr Fraser said that as a result of the recent review it had been decided that if possible declarations of essentiality covering the following industries would be revoked on December 6: Abattoirs (not freezing works), boiling down and manures, boxmaking, cool stores, fellmongery, flaxmills (phormium tenax), lime works, milk distribution, paper mills, skins and hides, teaching and wool scouring. This group included 360 undertakings employing 18,890 workers.

Mr Fraser said that with regard to lime works discussions were going on with the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Roberts. The chief problem in supplying lime to farmers was distribution, but if revocation would prejudice supplies it might have to be delayed slightly in this instance. The remaining declarations of essentiality, said the Prime Minister, should largely be off by January 31 next, but in a few cases it was too soon yet to determine whether the removal of the declaration could be effected by that date. Declarations at present scheduled for revocation on January 31 include important building (including _ houses), building materials, clothing (including canvas), electricity supply and electrical trade, fertilizers, footwear, furniture, forestry, hotels and restaurants, plumbing, railways (second division), rubber, sugar refiining, tobacco, tramways and woollen mills. However, recent reviews had indicated that in some cases the present was hardly an opportune time to fix a definite date for revocation, and another review would be necessary before January 31 to ascertain whether controls could in the national interest be revoked on that date. Mr Fraser said apart from the possibility of a few declarations having to be postponed the only ones remaining after January 31 would be coal mining, dairy factories, freezing works, general and mental hospitals, sawmilling and perhaps some particular kinds of clothing. Mr Fraser said it would be difficult for produce to be handled during the coming killing and dairying' season without power of direction over labour, but towards the end of the season it was hoped that sufficient labour would be available with the return of more men from overseas. The revocation essentiality in these industries, therefore, was tentatively set down for March 31. It was hoped that by the same date the position would be sufficiently improved in the key timber milling industry for revocation also to be made. NURSING PROFESSION

Concerning general and mental nursing, Mr Fraser said the Ministers of Health and National Service had consulted and the former had decided that there was something to be gained by ending direction to this work. The date fixed was the end of February, which would enable a recruiting campaign for voluntary workers to be organized, together with steps which would be taken to make hospital work more attractive. It was realized that under peacetime conditions compulsion might deter those who wanted to try out the nursing profession, but did not wish to feel obliged to remain in hospital work if they found they were unsuited for it. However, nothing would be done to prejudice the interests,. of patients, particularly mental patients, and if an emergency arose he was confident that sufficient volunteers would be forthcoming. Mr Fraser, discussing the position of the clothing industry, said it was doubtful whether the woollen industry, even working full time, could supply the full needs of the Dominion. The position would have to be discussed frankly with the woollen mill owners, and if they could not meet the demand the Government would have to import some materials from Britain. The Minister of Supply was watching the position closely, and it was possible that essentiality might have to be retained a little longer in some branches of the clothing industry than in others. COAL MINING PROBLEM

The greatest problem of all was coal mining. He agreed that men could not be forced into the mines, but the question was how rapidly direction could be abolished. For instance, if direction in the mining industry ended immediately what would happen to the dairy produce in the Waikato this season? The department would be happy if it could release coal mining from essentiality by March 31. There was no desire to retain direction longer than was necessary. , Mr Fraser said he realized that the removal of essentiality from hotels and restaurants on January 31 would cause some inconvenience, but people could not be directed indefinitely to this work for the convenience of others.

, With the railways, there was some doubt if the declaration could be removed at the end of January, or whether it might have to remain until March.

The Governments’ policy was to wipe out manpower direction industry by industry until the direction of labour disappeared entirely. There had been strong opposition from eniployers

or their associations to the proposed dates for the removal of essentiality from some industries but generally workers and employers alike wished to see the system end as soon as possible. The country had responded well to military and industrial compulsion during the war, but the peacetime direction of labour was distasteful. AUTOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP Mr W. J. Polson (Nat., Stratford) said if jobs were made attractive enough then vacancies would be filled just as readily as before. The direction of labour was a form of control the country would be glad to be rid of. It had been a period of autocratic dictatorship by a man who was not even a member of the House, and who had the audacity to make his report to the Federation of Labour. The manpower era had made victimization possible and the public still remembered the Hogan case and the discrimination shown concerning the editor of The Standard. To deny the right of the individual to change his employment was in his opinion the negation of liberty, and he considered no person should have such power to direct people in peace time. The country was naturally suspicious of the new department which had been set up for the National Employment Service. The Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr Sullivan, said if the reckless attitude of throwing every practical resolution to the winds was adopted there would be a very great crisis indeed. Australia had gone ahead faster than New Zealand in the repeal of the manpower regulations because Australia’s forces were not so far away as those of New Zealand were. He said the National Service Department had done a good job during the war period. It was not practical to lift controls the day after fire war ended and thus throw everything into chaos. Until all the overseas forces came back there would still be shortages in the footwear, clothing and other industries. The footwear shortages at present were very acute and the clothing situation was bad enough. Mr A. J. Murdoch (Nat., Marsden) said the time had come for a review of all members of the forces in New Zealand as a means of securing builders, joiners, plumbers and any others who could be used in general housing construction. Mr Fraser: That has already been done. , ..„ Mr Murdoch said there were still large numbers left. Mr Fraser: Does the hon. gentleman agree that the dairy industry should not be freed from manpower? Mr Murdoch said he agreed with that. STAFFING OF HOSPITALS

The Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer, said all would agree that manpower controls were obnoxious to the people of this country. He was very concerned with hospital staffing an knew there were some hospital boards which wanted manpower controls to M. B. Howard (Lab., Christchurch East): So they will not have to pay high wages. , Mr Nordmeyer said hospital boards would have to realize that controls could not remain in force fore Y el ’> f 1"" there would have to be more atti active working and living conditions as well as an increase in nurses’ salaries. Mr R. M. Macfarlane (.Lab., cniist church South) said the Government m the near future would be forced to make a survey of the supply of female labour in the Dominion in relation to the demand. The country s greatest problem in the next few years would be related to meeting the demands for female labour for domestic work and industry. ± . Mr J. T. Watts (Nat., Riccarton) concurring, said the shortage of female labour was so acute that the plan ot the Minister of Health for domes, ic aids would be still-born. The scheme would never get started because theie would not be enough women joining it. Mr Nordmeyer: It will start in Auckland and Wellington next month. Mr Watts said industry was paying higher wages than those paid to domestic aids. . A Government member: borne factories pay less. . Mr Watts said one Christchurch clothing factory at present needed 200 women workers. The day was coming when the Government would have to look closely at the nation’s industrial nolicy, because the Dominion might be faced with a surplus of male labour and a shortage of female workers. That would unbalance our whole economy, and girls instead of marrying would remain in industry. WOMEN WITH A PUNCH

Miss Howard said she disagreed with Mr Macfarlane and Mr Watts in this instance. “I don’t believe in importing women into New Zealand, she declared. The shortage of _ women workers was because they received less pay, and private interests always grabbed the lower-paid workers. The solution was equal pay for equal work and more attractive conditions in industry. Miss Howard said the time was coming when hospital boards, in order to retain adequate staffs, would have to pay nurses and other women workers adequately. Women themselves were going to take a hand in the matter. They were organizing and the hospital boards would have to sit up and take notice. Women had learned during the war that they had a punch and they were going to use it when the manpower restrictions were removed. Miss Howard said high wages would not deter women from marrying as Mr Watts had suggested. Mother Nature would take a hand in that, and not all the high wages in the world would keep women from marrying when they were ready to do so. Mr Fraser said the discussion had been very satisfactory. He considered the National Service Department with its present Minister and system of administration, which dealt with 250,000 workers, had done a remarkable job. There had not been .0015 per cent, of complaints about its work.