SKILLED WORKERS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21244, 15 October 1940, Page 7

SKILLED WORKERS

ACUTE SHORTAGE FEARED RESERVE FOR AN EMERGENCY The equipment of the millions of soldiers now under training in this country makes enormous demands upon the factories, says the Manchester Guardian Weekly. Much has been done to increase supplies, but much remains to be done, and, as Mr Hore-Belisha and others have pointed out, we cannot feel that we are making the best of our resources while 800,000 men are on the unemployment lists. One of the needs which is not been fully met is for the training of unskilled workers. Mr Bevin recently spoke of his efforts—obviously not as successful as he desires—to induce employers to undertake more in the way of training both men and women. A number of skilled men have been released from the forces to go back into the factories. But this is only a temporary measure, and when the need comes for their recall to military work there will be an acute shortage of skilled workers unless others are trained to fill their places and still further to swell the ranks of war workers in the factories. The Government is forming a reserve of skilled labour by calling upon all engineers not now engaged on war work to register at the employment exchanges. In this way it is hoped to obtain the names of some 300,000 skilled men who can be called upon for important Government work. Meanwhile Mr Bevin has asked every engineering employer to consider whether he cannot release one or two skilled men for the training centres, and he has increased the scale of pay so that instructors liable to night work will now receive a minimum of £350 a year.