"ON THE JOB"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 303, 23 December 1941, Page 2

"ON THE JOB"

Women Take Part

In Emergency Test

"The women were on the job in good time," was the comment of the various authorities regarding the part played by women in this morning's E.P.S. test. Many of the women, it was stated, had long distances to travel on foot, but they made the distance in excellent Ame.

The Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, said that women team workers and wardens had to report to their local headquarters to stand by, and he himself had seen them go quickly to their posts. Mrs. Allum, he said, as chairman of the women's committee, had reported to headquarters. The various sections of the Women's War Service Auxiliary swung into action smoothly, accoraing to the chairman, Mrs. W. H. Cocker. The members of the transport section assembled at the bowling green at Grafton Road; over 50 Field Unit girls under the St. John Ambulance, and also cooks and clerks' went to first aid posts; and others reported for watchroom duty at the suburban fire brigade stations. The cyclists were allocated to first aid posts and hospitals for messenger duty, and some telephone operators assembled at the block warden headquarters: Some of the girls had to hitch-hike from Green Lane to Grafton., yet arrived smartly at their post at 5.50. -

Mrs. Cocker said that in the Grafton district women team wardens and workers were seen patrolling the streets in pairs, within a quarter of an hour after the alarm had gone.

The St. John Ambulance and Red Cross had women reporting at first aid posts, and members of the Red Cross transport section took their Gars to their posts. A reserve section was also waiting at the Red Cross headquarters, to stand by in case any of those on duty were hurt.

The general opinion seemed to be that the women were pleased to have done their job well, and there were not many who did not report. The mam criticism was that the distances to be travelled were too lone and workers should be assigned to posts nearer at hand, whether they were in business or at home