H—lla

been repatriated to their normal place of residence ; evacuees from war zones who had enjoyed temporary asylum in New Zealand ; war widows desirous of making their home with relations abroad ; and persons not normally resident in the Dominion, but stranded here as the result of war conditions, and who, in the case of males, had completed their military obligations, if any. 143. With the cessation of hostilities in August the National Service Department only needed to consider applications from men aged eighteen to forty-four inclusive (but not returned servicemen) and women aged eighteen to twenty-nine inclusive. By the beginning of 1946 it had become unnecessary for the National Service Department to consider any applications from females, although the review of applications from men was retained mainly in order to prevent the departure of Category " A " men still subject to special direction and men subject to orders or directions of the Special Tribunal. PART lII.—INDUSTRIAL MOBILIZATION AND GENERAL ACTIVITIES SECTION I.—INDUSTRIAL MOBILIZATION OVER THE WAR YEARS (i) Early Effects of Military Mobilization 144. Following the declaration of war in September, 1939, a cumulative declinein the labour force available to industry set in, and by June, 1941, New Zealand had mobilized over 73,000 men in the Armed Forces. The withdrawal of this labour from industry did not, however, entail a fall in essential production, which actually increased. This increase was achieved by the absorption of unemployed persons, the gradual substitution of women for men, lengthening hours of work, a slowly increasing curtailment of non-essential production and services, and an all-round increase in individual effort. (ii) Introduction of Man-power Controls 145. By the middle of 1941, however, it had become apparent that the war must be a long one, requiring a further steady flow of reinforcements overseas. While, up to that point, industry had been able to adapt itself to the increasing labour shortage by voluntary measures, a close study of the over-all man-power position then carried out showed that with 73,000 men already withdrawn from industry and in the Forcesby the end of June, 1941 (including 42,000 actually overseas), these voluntary measures of adjustment could not continue to meet the position for much longer. In September, 1941, the Department therefore began to study the question of introducing compulsory measures of industrial mobilization (man-power controls) in New Zealand whenever the strain of mobilization might make this necessary. In doing so it had available the measures already adopted by the British Government. 146. The outbreak of war with Japan in December, 1941, brought the question of industrial mobilization to a head with unexpected urgency. The need for home defence became of paramount importance. It became immediately necessary to withdraw a. further 45,000 men from industry for the home-defence Forces in the early part of 1942, followed by further withdrawals, until by September, 1942, industry had lost some 170,000 men to the Armed Forces overseas and within New Zealand. The necessity for mobilization on such a scale made the introduction of man-power controls a matter of urgent necessity almost overnight. In January, 1942, Amendment No. 8 of the National Service Emergency Regulations 1940 was gazetted providing for such controls and for the appointment throughout the Dominion of District Man-power Officers toadminister them under the direction of the Minister of National Service. These regulations were later taken out of the National Service Emergency Regulations and gazetted separately as the Industrial Man-power Emergency Regulations 1942, and then cameunder the administration of the Minister of Industrial Man-power.*

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