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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 3, 1940.
MIRROR OF WORLD
OPINION
MEN, WOMEN, AND GUNS that the contribution of this country is intended to be nothing less than its total strength, and that of this a sub- stantial part has already been develop- ed.
от
Mr.
The debate on man-power in the House of Commons dealt with one of the most difficult of all war problems. Every citizen is
affected by modern The full and proper allocation of war, and the problem is to man-power to industry is a more com~ ensure that every citizen is fully em- plicated matter, and it is clear that ployed where he or she can best con- some of it still remains unused tribute to victory. Some thought had used imperfectly. Nevertheless
able to tell a cheerful Indeed been given to this problem be- -Brown was fore last September; and a schedule of story, of which the culminating point reserved occupations had been drawn was a "personal guess" that half a up to prevent the destruction of the million of those still registered as un- Industrial output essential to victory employed had an early prospect of own industries. by Indiscriminate enlistment. More- absorption in their
There is not, and every one hopes that over the somewhat tentative Military there never will be, industrial con- Training Act was at once reinforced scription in this country; but results by a new Act which made the whole have been achieved by the eager co- male population between the ages of operation of the trade unions and of employers in seeing that our resources eighteen and forty-one liable to mili- in skilled labour are fully applied, are tary service. The approach to the pro- mobile, and are reinforced. Require→ blem was
therefore made infinitely ments for eighteen months ahead have been prepared in consultation with easier than it was in 1914. The armed them, and every effort will be made forces were assured of all the recruits to meet those requirements. Govern- they could handle in an
orderly ment training centres with an output sequence, and industry was protected of 40,000 semi-skilled workers a year will contribute, but the main task of against disruption. But the problem training labour will devolve upon the of what allocation should be made be- factories, yards, and mines tween the armed forces. on the one selves. In this connection it must be remembered that there is certainly a hand and industry on the other hand, large reserve of people who have not in order to secure the greatest war previously been in industry. In parti- effort, remained and remains difficult. cular the work which women did in The more armies become mechanised the last War earned them the vote; and, without disparagement to the and weapons become complicated the many thousands of
added to the total broader must be the industrial basis already
in employment during this behind the combatant sections of the
war, it cannot be said that either armed forces; and some authorities the intrinsic or the replacement value have estimated that, whereas in the of women as a whole has yet been utilised. The debate yesterday also last War it took some five to seven showed that, like the expansion of the people to keep a soldier in the line, armed forces, the expansion of indus- the comparable figure to-day is eleven try depends on a full supply of equip- ment and notably, of machine tools. to thirteen.
Nevertheless the Minister's speech in- dicated that, though very much re- mained to be done, very little had been forgotten.
them-
women
Finally one detail, which appears to have caused some heartburning, needs special comment. Though the
To deal first with the requirements of the armed forces, it is clearly im- possible to disclose the total strength which the Government have decided to raise and to maintain. But the pace schedule of reserved occupations was at which this. strength can be reach- issued before the war, it was not ap- ed depends upon the volume of in- plied to enlistments in the Territorial dustrial output, and the volume of in- Army; and the absence so far of active
operations has made
many enlisted dustrial output of munitions must
men feel that they might more usefully again have regard to the need for render other service. There was in- financing the war, and notably to the deed a good deal of indiscriminate en- listment in raising the Territorial need for increasing exports and for
Army from 128,000 in January, 1936, keeping the ordinary civil life of the to 418,000 in August, 1939. Though the country going on a tolerable level. As Army itself requires a great number of skilled "tradesmen," it has been the Minister of Labour said yesterday, possible to comb out no fewer than in allocating man-power he has to hold 33,000 men whose services have been the balance between half a dozen ur recognised to be more valuable else- gent claims, none of which can be where 20,000 indefinitely and 13,000 temporarily. Moreover the system on neglected. Nevertheless he rightly put which the combing out has been done the manning and equipment of the is manifestly fair. Reservists in the armed forces first, for their expansion Regular Army must fulfil their Army obligations, and their skill is not wast- has clearly been the most urgent re- ed. But in other cases releases are quirement during the first phase. The granted if the qualifications of the ap- finding of these men has proceeded to plicant cannot be best used in the Army, or if the application is endorsed the point of subjecting no fewer than by some other Government Depart- 1,700,000 to registration either for mill ment. The process of sifting out and tary service or for reservation to es- settling down has therefore been go- sential industries, and before the ending on all the time both in industry and in the Army; The switch over of the present month a further age from peace-time to war-time employ-
know procee
group will be similarly registered. To was expects, bark If
ment has perhaps taken longer than
the hundreds of thousands actually ing rapidly; and any delays have cer- called up must be added 300,000 volun- tainly not been due to half-hearted- ficulties of a teers belonging to age groups not yet ness but to the great affected by conscription. The pace of task for which, unlike Germany, this country had not spent years in pre- enrolment naturally increases as time paring. On the whole the House of gree that the goes on, for it is governed by the Commans seemed to
what they equipment and the training facilities Government appreciated had to do even in"
"some; matters available. It is clear indeed and they had hat yất “ dor present events in Norway prove it- Times,"
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