MUTUAL ASSISTANCE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3809, 16 September 1936, Page 8

MUTUAL ASSISTANCE

VALUE OF PLACEMENT SCHEME. An important sawmilling company, in a letter concerning the Labour- Det partment’s placement scheme., states: —-"We would like to take this opportunity to compliment your Department for the pains you take to get the fullest information regarding those seeking employment. This will result in rendering much assistance to bj>th employer and employee.” Extreme care in selecting the men recommended for the- employer's consideration is a basic principle of the scheme, and that fact is chiefly responsible for the effective co-operation that employers have accorded all Placement Officers. A Dunedin business man, writingon the same subject, says:—“Thanks to your very .thorough way of finding employment, has been placed in a job that should turn out well for him. I Regard this scheme, as a great advancement.” A very progressive and successful wool and skin merchant expresses his opinion in these terms:—“l consider this Placement Scheme is a splendid thing for both employers and employees.” A farm worker taken off relief and placed in a farm job at a wage of 35s per week and “found,” adds, a shrewd proviso to his letter of thanks: —“I thank you for getting employment for me. I have no doubt that if you help others as you have helped me there Will be Very little unemployment—providing the men are prepared to work ! ” The safeguards under the Placement Scheme are sufficient to weed out the few men who are not -red to work when offered normal employment. The. head of a large business organisation, the staff of which had been selected from men registered under the Labour Department’s placement scheme, mentiond during a recent conversation with the local placement officer that of the large number of men appointed to the staff only one had proved unsatisfactory. On investigation it was found that a former employer of this man had, possibly throup-h a mistaken kindness, furnished a totally inaccurate testimonial -as to his integrity and industrial ability. The harmful results of supplying such misleading- information cannot be too strongly stressed, and, commenting on this matter, the Manager said he thought that undoubted benefits would accrue to employers p-enerally when they realised that under the Labour Department’s Placement Scheme every possible effort was made to obtain thorough and accurate reports regarding the integrity and industrial ca- acity of applicants for employment. 1