LABOUR SUPPLY

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 22659, 12 July 1945, Page 5

LABOUR SUPPLY

INDUSTRY IN BRITAIN RELEASES COME SLOWLY 70,000 FOR HOUSING (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, July 11 One of the many domestic problems facing Great Britain is the refitting of labour into industry. With orders pouring in to firms for peacetime production, there is at the same time an unsatisfied demand for labour. Only recently, the General Council of the Trades Union Congress suggested a far more rapid rate of demobilisation, fearing that the switchover to normal production was not being planned rapidly enough. Demobilisation has not proceeded very far yet, while there are also priorities for labour. The first priority is for the provision of war equipment for the Pacific. The second is labour for housing, and then comes labour for essential civilian requirements, such as clothing, boots, shoes, cotton and furniture. Men Still Being Called Up The demobilisation of men from the forces provides for the release of 750,000 men by the end of the year, but this will not result in a net increase in the labour force. Younger men are going into industry to take their turn in the forces, and in cases where there is a cut in the war production programme, men born in 1915 or after are being called up. Only the first groups have been demobilised from the services so far. Releases began three weeks ago, and every man and woman is entitled to eight weeks’ leave. During that time, they may arrange to return to their former employment or find themselves jobs. If they have not found work by the end of their leave, they are subject to direction. Under the new control order, all men between the ages of 18 and 50 and all women between the ages of 18 and 40 may obtain employment only through employment exchanges and employers may engage people between these ages only through the exchanges. Not Too Much Direction The Government’s intention is to retain a guiding hand on employment and prevent one employer taking on large numbers of workers at the expense of others. At the same time, the intention is to do without this direction as much as possible. In certain civilian industries, such as clothing and footwear, employers may nominate workers now engaged in munitions to return to their former work, and the Ministry of Labour is endeavouring to release them. To aid rehousing there is a special scheme to release from the forces 70,000 workers skilled in the building trade. They will be directed into work, but their right to reinstatement into their former employment will be preserved. In war production industries there is a certain amount of what is known as “wastage” to be made up. This results from permission given to women with household responsibili- | ties to be free of direction and leave | off work. While many are taking advantage of this release others are carrying on temporarily while awaiting the return of their husbands from the forces. New Name For Unemployed One of the big problems of industry is that of “redundant workers”—this term apparently being preferred to “the unemployed,” with its painful associations of the pre-war years. Many workers have nothing to do until they are reallocated. One of the difficulties of the controlled transfer of labour from war to peace production is an avoidable drop in wages in many cases, but it is maintained that an ordered reallocation of labour is of paramount importance if what Mr Bevin called “overdoses of people in some industries and none in others” are to be avoided. It is thought that this difficult transition period will last some time and will be accompanied by unavoidable irritations. MR CHURCHILL FITTER DEVOTION TO PAINTING (Received July 12, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 11 Mr Churchill on the fourth day of ! his holiday looked much fitter. He continues to spend the afternoon and early evening painting. He places a stool on a small footpath leading to a villa where a German Gestapo chief lived during the occupation. A local French artist at another turn of the path is painting the Same subject—a fine view across Gascony Bay, with the Pyrenees in the background. A statement has appeared in the press that Mr Churchjll crossed the Spanish frontier today at San Sebastian, accompanied by Colonel Ortega, j Such reports are totally untrue, says i a statement from 10 Downing Street j today. Neither the Prime Minister nor any of those with him has crossied the Spanish frontier or intend to do so. DARDANELLES FUTURE TURKISH MINISTER’S TALKS (Received July 12, 11.30 ajn.) LONDON, July 11 Mr Eden conferred With Hasan Saka, the Turkish Foreign Minister, who is returning to Turkey from San Francisco. The Exchange Telegraph’s diplomatic correspondent says it is believed that Mr Saka is remaining in London until Mr Eden returns from the Potsdam Conference, when it will be possible to discuss more comprehensively the future of the Dardanelles. Turkey’s territorial integrity and unconditional self-determination were the basic conditions of future relations with Russia, said the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hassan Saka, at a Press conference in London. The future of the Dardanelles and the revision of the Turco-Soviet pact were two distinct questions which much be treated separately, he added. As far as Turkey was concerned the question of frontier revision did not arise. Any modification of the status of the straits must be a matter for international settlement. If the Montreux Convention were amended the new status must take into account the rights of* maritime passage, also the security of the riprarian rights of the Black Sea and Turkey’s sovereign rights. REGENT OF IRAQ (Received July 12, 1 p.m.) RUGBY, July 11 The Regent of Iraq was received by the King and lunched at Buckingham Palace today.