3.
LABOUR.
Lt. Gen. Percival
age.
Para,
20
91
43
51
246
327
60
398
67
450
80
567
"The question of the conscription of labour in time of war had been considered and, in accordance with the advice of th se best acquainted with labour conditions in Malaya, rejected as unworkable."
"War experience soon showed that, while the organised military labour units worked on the whole satisfactorily this was far from being the case with civil labour. Trouble first broke out in Kedah, where civil labour disappeared as soon as the operations started.
"The workers still disappeared as soon as any bombs fell near them and usually remained absent for some days. This applied particularly to the aerodromes upon which the Japanese Air Force was now making daily attacks."
"There was unfortunately no improvement as regards the labour conditions on the aerodromes. The civilian workers continued to disappear whenever an air attack took place and usually remained absent for some days. In consequence, one or more of the aerodromes on Singapore Island were invariably out of use.
"As a result of the Japanese air raids on the Singapore Docks, labour difficulties, similar to those which had been experienced elsewhere, developed towards the end of January. The Asiatic labourers, who were in the regular employ of the Singapore Harbour Board and most of whom occupied quarters adjoining the Docks, disappeared as the air raids became more intense, with the result that ships bringing military stores had to be unleaded by military personnel.
"The Municipal Water Engineer reported that, owing to breaks in the water mains and pipes as a result of bombing and shelling, a heavy loss of water was going on; that, though both pumping stations were still working, well over half the water was being lost; that all civil labour had disappeared and that it was difficult to get repairs done. He estimated that the water supply would last for 48 hours at the outside and that it might only last for 24 hours. Various methods of dealing with the situation were considered, but the only practical one seemed to be to effect repairs quicker than the mains and pipes could be broken. I therefore ordered additional Royal Engineer assistance; this could not be provided till the afternoon owing to the fact that all available
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