DIRECTION OF GIRLS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1944, Page 3

DIRECTION OF GIRLS

BOROUGH COUNCIL PROTEST

Cr. G. R. Harker introduced the question of the man-powering of girls from tl}o West Coast to the North Island at a meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council last evening. He said that girls over 21 years of age were taken and by that time they had had training for special jobs, with the result that the policy was throwing business people right out of gear. The North Island, which had twothird:.' ot lho population of Now Zealand, should have enough girls to draw upon for North Is.kmd industry. No one would object, he said if the girls were being directed to hosoitals, but when it came to tobacco factories and such like it was a different matter, lie moved: That while the Council dr.es not wish to hampoy the war effort of the Dominion in any way it protests against the direction of females to tobacco factories and to other factories, which are engaged in production for civilians of commodities which are not in fact essential, although they may have been declared under the regulations to be essential. Cr.-P. Blanchfield seconded the motion “with great pleasure.” He said he would not mind if the tobacco was being prepared for the soldiers, but when it was for civilians, both men and women, it was different. It was not right that girls should be torn away from their homes and from essential work they were already engaged in for such production. The motion of protest was carried unanimously.