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Secondly there was a clear downward trend overall in
employment in the textile industry.
41.
Mr. Stewart and Mr. Jordan both emphasised
Sir Eugene Melville's point that reference to a one
month period did not give an accurate overall picture,
by quoting various other employment figures for isolated
periods which they argued showed a satisfactory employment
situation. Mr. Jones made the point that if employment
was decreasing this was just as likely to be due to
increased productivity as to imports.
42.
Mr. Jordan enquired whether it was not in-
evitable that unskilled entrants to the textile industry
began to look to industries paying higher wages as soon
as they acquired some skill and it was this movement
that created an appearance of lost jobs. In other words,
workers had left textile jobs for better paid jobs leaving
30,000 vacancies to be filled.
43.
Mr. Blackman said that negro teenagers, for
social and economic reasons, did not have the option or
inclination to move to other industries.
44.
Mr. Nehner said that there had not been such
detailed discussion of the labour situation when the
L.T.A. had been negotiated in 1961 and he did not see
why special significance was being attached to it now.
Putting aside the economic aspects, due weight had to
/be
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