WOMEN'S WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 90, 17 April 1941, Page 19

WOMEN'S WORK.

NEW STATE SCHEME. COMMONS CRITICISM. The propo-als of the British ment fdi- the registration and employment oi' women iimler the now labour scheme were criticised L»v several

women members during tin.' House of ('ominous debate on March -20.

I lie point was impha.-ised that women uho-had desired to |>iay their part in the earlier stage ol' the war liail been disheartened l,y prematnre appeals to come, fin-war,l u hen job, were.n.it readv for them tn Jill. Dealing \% it 1, the (eminent scheme ot registration of women for war ser\iee. tiie I'ar lia men ta i v Seeretarv to the Ministry of Labour. Mr. A. Assheton. '•°hl the lloii-e ot' t ominous that the. object \\a- to survey carefully Unavailable supply ot women and lind out how they Were itl present occupied and "hat each ot them could In■ -1. dn to help the country. Above, all. he -aid. what ua- wanted with women was -elective treatment not ma<s treatment. I!y far the imM important aim of registration was to put to work t hor-e women who might be lofting work through the closing down i.'f unessential industries and those at pio>o.nt uiHX'cuph'il fuul not tiikinj; their lull irharo in tho war Hl'ort. Ho dniibtinl, Mr. on went on. it' any (lovrrnmont Detriment hacT over taken on a more formirlnMc task, but lie did not holio.ve than in anv hut. a very small number of wlml.l the Ciov<'rnuient have to u>e it« <-om|»ul>nrv power.*. Courage and Endurance. "Women want to share in tin- work of \\ inning tiie war. as so many liave

<lniio j;;illantly >inco. (lie \ cry lioirin staled. "The women of Kritain have shown tlio mo>t wonderful ••tuiraiie and endurance and are uo« '""in.- <'<1 lied upon for further help." Much ot tiie work would l>e hard, full ot drudgery ami difficulty, said Mr. Asr-hc.ton. There would be little glamour about, except- the knowledge that they were forvinjr their country iu the hour of iii'ed.

Megan 1.10y,| (;eorge >aiil that the tailnre to secure 1 lie first HKI.OOO women was due to detective administmt ion.

.Mii-s T. Cazalet, demanding e<|iial pay for women as for men. said that liomli> were lio l'espccter of persons. Miss Irene Ward said that women wanted more administrative joiis. She <'luimed that women could have avoided some war time blunders.

Miss \\ ard added that women mem. hers, of whatever party, were determined to support the Government in any action it might think necessary in coniie.-tion with the organisation of women in efforts to achieve victory at the eorliest jKissihle moment. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health. Miss F. Horshrugli. announced that the (kivernment had accepted the principle of a definite national scale of payment for the nur«ing profession, similar to the s<heine in the educational world. Slaekness-of Women. «-•- Miiss Eleanor Kathhone: "[ am I<K) per cent feminist, hut there arc probably more slackers among women than women members of the House acknowledge. I liope there will be h drastic and remorseless roundin(i-up of slackers and of women engaged in unnecessary luxury trades. '"The Minister should also consider the unnecessarily large .stall's of domestics. There are still too many households trying to keep up a pre-war standard and who have not tried to simplify their own lives with fewer servants. "The main function of the Government should be guidance, not compulsion. Very little guidance is given to women who are very anxious to plav their ]>art iu the national effort." The Minister of Pensions, Sir Walter Womersiley, announced that compensation rates for non-working -women injured by enemy action had now been raised to 16/4 a week if no hospital treatment was required, and 0/4 if they were taken to hospital. The Lrfml President of the Council. Sir John Anderson, winding up the debate, said: 'T confess to a feeling of [Perturbation because fools rush iu where angels have ceased to tread. The Government is considering a greater approach to the equality of sexes."