WOMEN GANGERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 67, 16 September 1943, Page 6

WOMEN GANGERS

REPLY TO MINISTER

The Mayor (Mr. Hisldp) made the following reply today to' statements made by the Minister of National Service (Mr. McLagan) with regard, to the employment of women on tram track repairs:— "That the Mayor of Wellington had the idea of putting women on to the tram tracks, photographing them and using the photograph as propaganda.— There is no truth in this statement.

"That the picture showed women doing heavy work.—Anyone who cares to look at the picture can see that here is another untruth. . The picture' was taken by a Press photographer on his own initiative,' and not at the request of the Mayor, who was unaware of such a picture until he saw it in the paper in the evening.

"That the picture showed some of the women lugging drums of bitumen about.—Another untruth.. What the women were carrying were cans of emulsion, no larger or heavier than a watering can.

"That nine men were directed to the permanent way department by the Man-power Department and only one given a job.—Also untrue. A total of 15 men has been directed by the Manpower Department since the women ceased work on the tracks and only two were not taken on for reasons fully explained to the district manpower officer.

"That 200 men were offered for parttime work in the weekends, but they could not be used because of lack of plant and supervision.—This does not accurately present the true position, which briefly was, and is, that women were- taken on to .release men from patching work for track relaying. Two hundred men. working on weekends could not be used for relaying, which is 90 per cent, of the work to be done in the permanent way department, as the streets to be relayed (Manners and Willis Street in particular) could not be left lying open all the week. The possibility of wet. weekends had also to be considered.

"What is required is 25-30 labourers to work all the week."