Description of series:Youth employment was raised as a major issue with the Prime Minister (J A Lyons), by the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, just before his death in early April 1939. It was then pursued with R G Menzies, who referred it to the Minister for Supply and Development (R G Casey). On 4 May 1939 Harold Edward Holt, as Minister Assisting Casey, was asked to take responsibility (1).  The files in this series essentially document Commonwealth activity relating to youth employment over the ensuing months. A Conference of Commonwealth and state Ministers was held in Melbourne 19-20 July (of which Holt was Chairman), and followed up by another for Employment Research Organisations in Canberra 4-6 December. The proceedings and associated papers of both conferences are in this series. The series also includes related correspondence, reports, press cuttings, speech notes and drafts, some papers concerning a shorter working week and the text of a radio broadcast made by Casey in July 1939.The records were transferred to archival custody in Melbourne by the former Department of Supply on 25 September 1959, and controlled as MP392/4, Bundle 3 (ref. RWM 24/1/13). In December 2001 they were relocated to Canberra and the series description was revised as part of the Prime Ministers Papers Project.Reference:National Archives, MP392/4, item 5: Holt to Casey, 4 May 1939