Women’s Land Army

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 4, 29 September 1939, Page 11

Women’s Land Army

Sir, —Since we must still wait for some official recognition of the proposal to establish a Women’s Land Armv. and since it has been stated that the Women’s Institute hopes to compile a register of women willing to serve in any capacity, would it not help to speed matters up if their executive gave some public indication of where and how’ women may register? There are townswomen, not members of the institute or any affiliated organizations, who would be prepared to do war work, but they have to earn a living, and must remain in their present occupations, doing voluntary work in the evenings, unless some organization enables them to find war work which will provide a livelihood as well as. being of national importance.

As Mrs. Cooper has pointed out, training is needed. And while in regard to laud work we wait for urgent need to overcome the deeply-rooted conservatism of so many New Zealanders toward anything new, perhaps those of our progressive countrymen and countrywomen who can will offer opportunities of training to individual women volunteers. Even, though a limited training could only be offered in many cases it would serve to accustom the beginner to outdoor work before the beat of summer, as well as preparing her for more intensive training, and also prove to the doubters that women do not need to be the wiy es and daughters of farmers to feel an interest in rearing stock and tending crops. The need is urgent, and the sooner a beginning is made the sooner can our production of all crops be increased. We are all being asked to grow more vegetables in our town -gardens to enable growers of large crops to supply more for canning for export Many farms have insufficient labour now to grow an adequate supply, and in this alone land women could be of great Will one of the women’s organizations' give the definite lead required by the present circumstances? Or at least give some public indication of theii in tention to do so?-I am -^ TINGj Wellington, 27/9/39.