News of the Week How New "Reserved" Schedule Affects Our Industry
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THE latest Schedule of Reserved Occupations, issued last Monday, at is. net, really marks the inauguration of a new system of reservation. It deals only with restrictions placed upon enlistment tnenrolment in the Forces or Civil Defence Services, not with the regulation of employment in industry.
It is important to note that where two ages of reservation are given, each rises by a year per month, beginning on January 1 next. Men of or above the current age of reservation for their occupations will not be called under the National Service Acts of 1939-41. There are also restrictions upon the acceptance of such men as volunteers.
Appendix I is important, as it gives the method of reckoning a man's age for the purposes of the Schedule. The days and months ,of the year of birth in each scheduled age from 19 to 40 vary considerably, and should be carefully studied, but the general role is that, for the purposes of the Schedule, a man's age is that at the date of registration or, if he has not been called upon to register, his age on the day on which he volunteered for one of the Services. Exceptions are:—(a) men registered on June 3 and October 21, 1939, • are treated as being of their age on October 1, 1939; (b) those registered OR December 9, 1939, are considered as being of their age on December 1, 1939. An unreserved man entering a reserved occupation will not become reserved. His employer, however, may make application for deferment of calling up. In any case, deferment cannot be granted after an enlistment notice has been issued.
New Deferment Form If men have not hitherto applied for deferment on N.S.100, new forms (N.S.300) and a leaflet (N.L.8) should be obtained from any local office of the Ministry of Labour. After completion, N.S.300 should be sent to the office shown on the man's certificate of registration (N.S.2).
When a man ceases to be reserved owing to the progressive raising of ages of reservation, application by his employer for deferment must be made at least 15 days before that on which he ceases to be reserved. If the employer does not make this application, the opportunity will be given to the man to make it when he is called for medical examination, The calling up of apprentices, where the reserved age was 25 or under at December 1, will, upon appliCation, he deferred until the completion of their apprenticeship, or until they are 20, whichever is earlier. Subject to this, deferment of calling up of men under 25 will not normally be granted in any occupation marked with a vertical line in the Schedule, As previously, two ages of reservation are often indicated the lower applying only to men in businesses admitted to the Register of Protected Establishments. There will be no further admissions to the Register.
Postponement of calling up can be applied for on the ground of exceptional hardship.
The folloWing are examples of what may be termed the primary reservation at December 1, 1941:—Professional mechanical engineer (including automobile), 25; engineering draughtsman, 21; jig and tool draughtsman, 18; coach trimmer (including foreman, cutter-out and bench hand), 35; coach painter (foreman or charge hand), 30, others 35; fitter-assembler (motor engineering), 25-36. With few exceptions, operators of machine tools are reserved at 18-35, others at 21-35.
Drivers—Position Unchanged
• There are no alterations in the reserved ages of drivers, which remain at 25 where the vehicles exceed 2f tons, and 30-35 for 1 to 2f tons, but the latter cannot be deferred at under 25. Operating staff, from manager to parcel foreman, is reserved at 25-35, with no deferment under 25. Loaders and porters are reserved at 35. Trolleybus drivers or reserve drivers at 25 (no deferment under 25); coach or bus drivers and reserve drivers, 25-35.
It must be remembered that, as regards occupation, it is the first registration that counts. If it has been wrongly given, a personal visit should be paid at once to the place of registration.
It will be seen that the net effect of this new system of reservation will be gradually to changethe scheme into that of individual reservation, or, perhaps, it would be better to call it deferment. Thus, if a man in a particular occupation be reserved until the end of this year at 25, in 10 months the age of reservation will rise to 35, and all those then liable for service can he retained at their work only by the process of deferment, which has already been described as being in the province of the employer, or, at a later date, of the man himself,
ARMY TO RELEASE SOM•73 SINGLE-DECKERS •
DURING next year a number of single-deck buses will probably be released by the Army for distribution by the M. of W.T. Operators who have had buses acquired and who wish to repurchase them or acquire others should apply to the Regional Transport Commissioners of the Regions in which the acquired vehicles were fuelled, giving:—(1) Make, type, index mark and registration number, chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles .acquired; (2) the number they would like to have offered to them as they become available, (a) of their original fleet, (b) of such other vehicles as
they think suitable. Evidence as to the services running should be given.
Aplelications may also be Made by those who are in urgent need of additional buses.
Vehicles will be unreconditioned, and operators must make their own arrangements for repair, in which the M. of W.T. will assist.
Prices will he a matter for negotiation between the Ministry of Supply and the Operators. ApPlications should be submitted not later than January 15.
GOOD PROFITS OF GUY MOTORS
THE report of Guy Motors,, Ltd., for the year ended June 30, 1941. shows a net profit, after providing for depreciation, taxation and all charges, except debenture interest, of £46,012. After deducting a year's interest on the 5 per cant, first mortgage debentures and the dividend on the 6 per cent. non-cumulative redeemable participating preference stock, the amount for disposal, after adding £6,380 brought in, is £48,499.
A dividend of 13 per cent. (less tax) on the ordinary stock takes £14,873, whilst £7,000 is set aside to the sinking fund for debenture redemption, and £5,000 to the reserve for obsolesence and deferred repairs. In addition, £10,000 is reserved for contingencies, and .£5,500 is allocated to the reserve for a profit-sharing bonus for the staff. The amount to be carried forward is £6,054.
WAR'S EFFECT ON DENNIS NET EARNINGS
rIN the occasion of the annual general
meeting of Dennis Brothers, Ltd., the chairman, Mr. N. P. Andrew, said that the operations of the company in the year ended September 30 last had greatly increased, but lower rates of profit, higher expenditure on compulsory alterations to the factory, and the heavy burden of the E.P.T., brought about a reduction in net earnings. For those reasons, the balance on trading, after providing for all special taxation, fell from £134,000 to £120,000, whilst stock has fallen in value by £25,000, due to the fact that • 'material is now being moved Much quicker.
The result of the year's operations is a profit of £111,000. An interim dividend absorbed £25,000, whilst £10,000 has been allocated to the plant-renewal account, and £3,000 to the employees' benevolent fund. A final dividend ol 11d, per share (less tax) takes £69,000, leaving a sum of £171,102 to be carried forward.