THE WAR EFFORT
Sut,—There are a considerable number of factories and a large number of artisans in the woodworking trades whose help has not yet been adequately enlisted in the war effort. In Scotland, many of the furniture factories, cabinet and joinery works are quite unable to provide work for their normal staff over an eight-hours' day for a short week.
Yetthere have been repeated appeals by Ministers of the Crown thatAti artisans should work longer hours and a longer week.
Both employers and men in this industry in Scotland are anxious and willing to give their services whole-heartedly to the war effort, but the majority of the supplies of small woodwork in the past nine months have been contracted in the Midlands and London areas.
It is undoubtedly necessary for the Departments to take into consideration the distance of factories from large stores (mostly in the South), with a view to economy in cost of transport and saving in long haulage and probable congestion on the railways. Neverthe- less, it should be possible to spread the work over the country in order to give all sections of the industry the same opportunity.
The factories referred to are not engaged in the building of houses, though connected with the building trade, but are those equipped with modern plant capable of mass production in large quantities of articles such as ammunition boxes, furniture for camps, barracks, hospitals, &c.
It is to be hoped that under the new regulations the Minister of Supply will send expert members of his staff, with practical know- ledge of this industry, to assess the potential manufacturing capacity of such factories which are on the Government list of contractors. Then their output could be controlled to make certain articles at agreed prices with accounting control by the Ministry.
Meantime, the demand for increased labour has principally con- cerned the engineering trades, but those in the woodwork and furniture industry are anxious to have the opportunity to play their part in speeding up the national effort at home.—Yours faithfully,
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