London. May 9.
The formation of a merchant naval shipping reserve pool was announced yesterday by Mr. E. J. Leathers, the Minister of Shipping. and Mr, Ernest Bevin, Minister of Labour.
The pool will consi li officers and men who, on Ma: re serving on ships under agreements opened in Britain, unless when those agreements end, they sign again for employment with the same company.
All officers and men discharged from skips since April 28 automatic cally enter the pool which will be supplemented by all persons other than fishermen. between the ages of 18 and 60, who have served at sea since January 1936 and who have since entered other o The Minister of Mr. Leathers, said that it wi sary to take these mosures, by which seamen would no longer have freedom in their choice of s because there had been delays owing to officers and men not being immediately available for ships.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.