AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 126, 29 May 1944, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM

COURT AND MANPOWER LAW Sydney. May 27. Th? Commonwealth may face claims for damages if the New South Wales Full Court’s invalidation of the Manpower Regulations are upheld, says a constitutional lawyer. People who have been convicted under the regulations and gaoled will be able to sue the Commonwealth and others will at least be entitled to a refund of the fines paid and a setting aside of convictions. (On Thursday, the New South Wales Full Court decided unanimously that Lhe National Security Regulations purporting to empower the man-power authorities to direct people to work for private employers were invalid.) The Commonwealth has been granted leave to appeal against the State High Court’s ruling and the appeal will be heard late next week. Since the beginning of this year two men have been sent to gaol for three months and about 30 fined for having refused to obey man-power directions to private employment, The acting-Prime Minister, Mr. F. M. Forde, said that the Commonwealth Government, would be placed in serious difficulties if man-power control were relaxed at this period of the war. The Government could not permit the production of food or munitions for the Allied forces in the Pacific and food for Great Britain to decline.

The number of persons who had been directed to work in various industries were: Rural 1100, munitions 1200, food and clothing 1600, hospitals 800, miscellaneous supply factories 700.