WHAT OF THE BOYS?

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 118, 20 May 1932, Page 6

WHAT OF THE BOYS?

, ; ■'"':■ _ (To the Editor,} \ w , : ,f a >— Ia» a bby,reighteen years of ace attending .college.- For, ; the ■ past ■ twefve .months I have,tried.in vain-fo get employW.t TO?. Om? g^d wmPany or- warehouse. Why are there so many girls empfoyed in.these'positions and Government offices whose parents could well afford to keep them at home?. If this was done, it would enable a few boys, like myself to enter into commercial life, whereas they' have to remain at school. We feel too old tor college and would be glad of a small remuneration to get into commercial. training Some girls, to my knowledge, ar ß quite independent of their!salaries.—l-am etC., -:.: , - .•■;. ■ '..- :;-. ■: ;-■ ■ • .-' '

: * - : ;■ V/ ;desperatev(To the Editor,) vSir,—When onelooksround the Various trovernment offices and commercial house"! and sees the very large .number of women employed, one begins to understand the reason that bo manjfc of our boys 'cannot to-day find positions.;-' There mustY be thousands of girls in business in New Zealand whose parents are in; a position'to keep them at home,; and in the-present economic conditions it behoves the commercial Ynen of the community to consider the_ matter very carefully.' The . Govern^ ment should certainly take a lead. Personally, I feel the fact.that females being employed in. offices Jis greatly responsible for the dearth in marriages, the fairly good ■wages they;earn being an incentive to pur.cbase somewhat "extravagantly, with the result that they do not feeb disposed to marry, unless they are'assured the'jn'an can provide them with the same standard of living which they themselves have created.—3! am, etc., - -"* -:■ ""/ ' /PARENT. (To the Editor.) Sir,—With a view to assisting the unemployed I beg to suggest that a concerted movement be made by the Government in all departments, banks, mercantile houses, and businesses' generally for the carrying out of the following suggestions which have been discussed frequently but very little done:— (1) Dispensingwith the services of married women in all cases where the husband is at work and earning a reasonable salary as salaries go to-day. It is unfair and unjust to allow a married couple to earn two salaries when employment is, so scarce and so many competent- educated people equally able to do the work are unemployed and numbers of them on the bread line. (2) Dispensing -with the services of women and girls who are the daughters of wealthy' parents, or whose fathers are drawing good salaries or in. comfortable .circumstances, so as to make room i for ■others in less favourable circumstances. A strong Press campaign on these, headings would perhaps be the, means of inducing'those with feeling, and a Christian spirit to retire, but where the spi»t:was lacking employers could and should do the necessary for the interest of humanity. Some} of your readers may think : this is. drastic,.bu^' it is not so tflien one compares the-,times we: are passing through. Some, years ago it: was. considered" "infra dig" for a married woman .to g<Tto work or business: How much more."infra dig" when it-is realised they are taking away the sustenance so *;urgently "required by hundreds o£ others}, merely; to augment their savings in times" of .dire distress. I commend these suggestions to the business community,, to Messrs. Forbes, Coates, and the Minister of Justice.—l -am, etc.; r .-.■, .'?•.. ..EQUITY.