THE LOUNGE LIZARD

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 106, 31 October 1942, Page 8

THE LOUNGE LIZARD

TALK OF MAN-POWER

COMB-OUT

(0.C.) SYDNEY, October 13. Sydney's hotel "lounge lizards" received a scare last week when manpower officials threatened to comb them out for war work. The fallowing afternoon few civilian men of military age were to be seen in <he lounges, but the female species, perhaps because they are tougher, or because there is no conscription of women, were there in force. Attention was focused on "lounge lizards' when a New South Wales Labour member, Mr. J. Sheehan, asked the Government in the House of Representatives to put "luxury-loving single women" to work on war jobs. He said many of these women did nothing for the war effort, but passed their days in hotel lounges spending money. He offered to take man-power officials on a tour of Sydney hotels to let them see how much potential female labour was being wasted. He added: "If we used these women we would not have to force girls out of retail stores to work in munition factories. I have no quarrel with married women who may be waiting in hotels for soldier husbands on leave or for worker husbands. lam after the female lounge lizard type who neither spin nor toil, but are parasites upon the war effort." The following day the Deputy Director of Man-power, Mr. J. Bellemore, said his Department was determined to round up both men and women "lounge lizards." Although women were not being conscripted for war work, they could be asked why they were not gainfully employed, he said. The Department could direct women as well as men to go to any employment. Mr. Bellemore said he had already asked the Security Department to assist his Department in tracing idle men and women. He had suggested that officers should periodically visit hotel lounges, clubs, and cafes to check up on men and women who appeared to be unemployed and should be in the Services or engaged in war work. So far no attempt has been made to carry out the threatened raids and several women, who were at pains to enumerate at the same time the war work they are doing, told newspaper men that if they were questioned publicly while having, a quiet drink in a hotel lounge, they would take "direct action."