TO BE WITHDRAWN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 198, 21 August 1943, Page 6

TO BE WITHDRAWN

WOMEN LABOURERS REPAIRS TO TRAM TRACKS (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The women engaged by the Wellington Council to carry out tram track maintenance will be withdrawn and directed to other urgent and more suitable work, and male labour will be supplied by the manpower authorities to do the urgent repair work on the Wellington tramway tracks. -

Advice to this effect is contained in a statement issued to-day by the Minister of Industrial Manpower, Mr. McLagan. The Minister declared that the Government was definitely of the opinion that the maintenance and repair of tramway tracks was not suitable work for women, and he explained that, in view of the agreement reached to withdraw the women, he was arranging for the order issued to the council prohibiting the employment of women on that work to be revoked as being no longer necessary. "The engagement of women on labouring work to which they are not suited, when male labour can be provided, and when there is such an acute shortage of women for all tvpes of essential work, is definitely not in-the national interests," added the Minister, "and it can certainly not be justified as being proper or intelligent utilisation of the country s labour resources." The Minister said that representatives of the City Council had met the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, ana himself last evening, and, after full discussion on all aspects of the council's labour difficulties, council representatives agreed that arrangements should be made for the women to be withdrawn from track maintenance work. Defiance of the order issued could not and would not have been tolerated, and it was much better for all concerned that an agreement had been reached and that the women had been withdrawn from unsuitable work and would be placed where their services could be more effectively utilised.

Yesterdav afternoon t.lie Wellington Citv Council Tramways Committee decided to inform the Minister of Manpower that owing, to the urgent necessity in the public interest of getting on with track repairs without delay it was proposed to continue to employ the women. The Mayor Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, expressed nilnself astonished that it was proposed to nrohibit women from doing this work. "The tramway tracks, owing to there beinir insufficient labour available to look after them, are rapidly getting into a condition to cause grave anxiety, said Mr Hislop. "Many efforts have been maVip through the manpower office to obtafn labour for the work, but these effort" proved unavailing A little time Iko a group of women offered to do the wlrk They were shown the nature of iHnl the depot and recently started work.