H.—Ua

(ii) Registration for Compulsory Direction into Work of National Importance. —The wartime regulations governing the control of industrial man-power give power to place any person, irrespective of sex or age, and any company, firm, or association, &c, under direction to perform specified services or to continue to perform services in which they are already engaged. Eegistration is the medium by which individuals are located for direction. Different classes of persons have been called upon from time to time to register at Man-power Offices. These have then been interviewed, their circumstances and suitability for direction to more important work ascertained, and direction orders then issued to those regarded as suitable and available. Males from eighteen years to fifty-nine years inclusive not serving in the Armed Forces, and females from eighteen years to forty years inclusive except married women with dependent children, have so far been registered for direction to work of national importance. To the end of March, 1941, there had been 90,458 direction orders issued by Man-power Officers, 71,338 to males and 19,120 to females. Persons placed under direction to work of national importance have access to two forms of assistance in the event of incurring undue hardship as a result of direction. If a married man is directed away from his home centre under circumstances which require him to maintain his home while at the same time providing board and lodgings for himself away from it, he may claim a separation allowance of 30s. per week. Secondly, if a person is directed out of assured permanent employment into wartime work at a reduced remuneration, that person may claim a grant of financial assistance to make good the amount of the reduction up to £2 per week in the case of males and up to £1 per week in the case of females. (lii) Control over Engagements of Labour. —Except in the case of farming, coal-mining, hospitals, and several minor exceptions, all employers (both in industries declared essential and in industries not so declared) must obtain the consent of a Man-power Officer before engaging any labour. This gives the Man-power Officer an opportunity both to prevent the engagement of labour in less essential work an d also to direct into work of national importance according to priority requirements the labour so located as available for engagement. (6) Regulations In April, 1943, the regulations were amended in a number of minor respects designed to give greater flexibility. These amendments involved no basic changes in policy. By the beginning of 1944 it had become apparent that a number of further amendments were desirable. Opportunity was therefore taken to consolidate and re-enact the regulations as the Industrial Man-power Emergency Regulations 1944, which became operative on the 14th February, 1944. Apart from further minor amendments, the new regulations contained some important new policy measures. Power was taken to direct British and New Zealand seamen in New Zealand ports ; power was also taken for Man-power Officers and police to raid public places for the purpose of locating industrial defaulters and absentees. (c) Orders Orders were made under the Industrial Man-power Emergency Regulations as follows :— (i) Employment Restriction. —On Bth July, 1943, the Employment Restriction Order No. 3 was gazetted extending the existing Order No. 2 to include a number of new districts. Both Orders, however, permitted freedom of engagement of labour in all industries and undertakings declared essential, thus encouraging the maximum voluntary movement of labour into such industries at a time when the registration of successive classes for direction into work of national importance causing a large anticipatory movement of persons into such work. As this voluntary movement expended itself, however, the need to secure a more selective control over labour movements began to outweigh the value of this freedom of entry into the essential industries. Consequently, on 23rd March, 1944, the existing Employment Restriction Orders were replaced by the Employment Restriction Order No. 4, which requires prior consent of a Man-power Officer to practically all engagements of labour. Applications to engage labour under these orders have amounted to 32,226 cases : (ii) Registrations for Employment. —By 31st March, 1943, registration for direction to work of national importance had been extended to all males from eighteen years to fifty-nine years inclusive and to all females from eighteen years to thirty years inclusive. By the Registration for Employment Order No. 9, gazetted on 27th January, 1944, the registration age for females was extended to forty years, women with children under sixteen years under their personal care being, however, exempted from registration. It is to bo noted that women under twenty-one years of age are not directed to work away from their home centres : (iii) Control over Dentists. —The only other measure of man-power control introduced during the period covered by this report was the Dentists Employment Order 1943, gazetted on 9th September, 1943. It had become apparent that control over the movements of registered dentists was desirable both to preserve minimum civilian services in certain districts where voluntary migrations had resulted in an acute situation being reached, and also to safeguard the practices of dentists serving in the Armed Forces against the possibility of their being taken over by dentists moving into the district. Under the Order no dentist may change or terminate his practice without the consent of a Man-power Officer. Man-power Officers deal with applications in consultation with a National Dental Committee and the Health authorities.

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