WOMEN GANGERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1943, Page 6

WOMEN GANGERS

MINISTER'S STATEMENT

THE MAYOR'S REPLY

The Mayor (Mr. Hislop) has made the following reply to the statement made yesterday by the Minister of Man-power (Mr. McLagan) regarding the employment of women on tram track repair work: —

"I have read with interest the Minister's reply to my statement in your Monday's issue. In the Minister's first statement to the Press he said, as the reason for not supplying the requested labour for the tram tracks, that 'the Mayor's statement that application had been made to the Department for, men for the work was contrary to fact . . . at no time had the council made any application for male labour, either to the Controller of Man-power, the district man-power officer, or myself,' I was impelled to give this statement a flat contradiction, I do so again. "I notice that on this occasion the Minister qualifies his original statement by saying that no such application had been made during the past two months. Later, however, in the same statement, the Minister says, 'I emphatically repeat that at no time has any request been lodged for labour, male or female, for repair of tram tracks.' Not only are the above statements by the Minister inconsistent in themselves, but I am impelled to repeat that they are both entirely incorrect. I am definitely informed by both the general manager and tramway engineer that on August 10, prior to the meeting of the tramway utilisation committee, they discussed this very matter with the local man-power officer. I am further informed that on various occasions prior to August 10 ! the question was raised with the local man-power officer, not only by' the general manager and tramway engineer, but also by the superintendent of permanent way. All these officers have no doubt whatever on the matter, and their recollections are supported by 'diary entries.' Despite these reprei sentations, only a few odd men were from time to time sent along. The fact, however, that odd men were sent is itself 'further proof that applications were made. "FARCICAL ASSERTION." "In view of the statements by these officers, the written records and the obvious fact that we were desperately short of men for this job and were certainly unlikely not to ask for them, the Minister's assertion is, to use a word that seems to appeal to him, farcical. He further attributes to me the statement that August 10 was the first date on which this question was raised with the man-power authorities. I have never made any such statement. On the contrary, if he reads my statement he will see that August 10 was the last date on which the matter was raised prior to the meeting on August 20. "However, despite the Minister's charges against myself and his somewhat cheap reference to my inability to attend a conference on a sudden notice of some thirty minutes, I am delighted to see that our action has stirred him into activity. Indeed, so vigorous has he become that he now offers 200 men at a weekend. However, he must be aware that there are serious technical difficulties in dealing with this problem on such a grandiose scale. Supervision, tools, plant, and skill enter largely into the matter. The best method is to have 30 fit men continuously on the job. I hope he will be able to supply them. "Finally, I repeat my thanks to the women volunteers who came in to help. I am sorry that they should suffer under the heavy hand of the Ministerial dictator. However, it may be some consolation to. them, as it is to me, to see that the Minister has at long last been galvanised into action. In view of the Minister's action in ordering the women to stop the work they were doing so gladly and so well, because apparently he thinks it unsuitable for them, does he now propose to forbid the girl porters jOn the railway station, the post, girls with their heavy mail bags, and the land girls from carrying on the jobs they are doing so well?" i •■ ■ ■ ■ "NO INCONSISTENCY" The • Minister of Industrial Manpower (Mr. McLagan) replied to Mr. Hislop today as follows: — "I have been charged with inconsistencies in my previous statements,' said Mr. McLagan. "There is no inconsistency in either the statements or the facts. One statement refers to the fact that at no time within the last two months or otherwise has the Tramways Department asked for men for the repair of the tramway tracks. The other refers to the fact that within the last two months the Tramways Department has not asked for any men for any form of work whatsoever, apart from a previous unsatisfied demand for a welder's assistant. That I odd men have been sent over a period to the City Council is certainly no indication that these men have been asked for for tram track repairs. No reference has been made to the work for which they were wanted, and they were directed to the council for general employment." "I am interested to learn that Mr. Hislop now has a new grievance," continued Mr. McLagan, "that I have offered to supply more men than he can possibly employ. That, coupled with the tramways authorities' delay in employing some of the full-time men my Department has supplied to them, contrasts strongly' with the haste displayed in the employment of women labourers. "May I say in conclusion that I am always glad to receive expert assistance. I therefore appreciate—as coming from an undoubted expert in the art—Mr. Hislop's final words of advice regarding the utilisation of women." OFFICIAL'S STATEMENT Commenting today on recent statements regarding the engagement of women on tram-track repairs, the District Man-power Officer (Mr. F. H. Waters) stated that he wished to make his own -position in the matter clear. "While I fully appreciate the need for ensuring that sufficient labour is made available to maintain the tram tracks in a reasonable state, and am aware that the deterioration of the tracks has been the subject of comment during recent months, I would state quite definitely that I have never been approached officially with a request to direct male labour to this work. As indicated by the Minister of Industrial Man-power in a recent statement, the Tramway Department did make application on May 11 last for four labourers, who were supplied within a week or two, but no indication was given as to the nature of the work for which they were required. The only other vacancy which I have had recorded for the Tramway Department is for a welder's assistant, and although the tramway authorities have been contacted weekly to verify whether this vacancy still existed, I have received no indication either verbally or otherwise that any additional male labour was required for tram track maintenance, or for other tramway work. This is surely a definite indication that the tramway authorities have not troubled to make their requirements known to my office. "I would mention that had an application been received for tram track repairs, the application would have been recorded on the weekly list of vacancies, which are checked back with employers each week to ascertain whether the vacancies still exist, and, if necessary, the application would have been placed before the tramway utilisation committee, which has been I specially set up to consider all matters relating to labour problems in this essential service, and I can. only express my surprise that the council's representatives on this committee have not taken an opportunity of mak- : ing their definite requirements known, in order that steps could have been taken to provide male labour before the employment of women on or- ; dinary labouring work was decided : upon." .

Mr. J. C. O'Brien, metal worker, 19 Te Whiti Street, received a lacerated wound to his scalp when he struck a counterweight at the Patent Slip today. He was taken to hospital by the Free Ambulance.