FAVORABLE RESPONSE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20638, 19 August 1941, Page 5

FAVORABLE RESPONSE

CALL-UP OF WOMEN SERVICES IN BRITAIN REPLACING OF MEN (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 11.45 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 18. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, Mr. R. Assheton, speaking in London, said: “I think the country is beginning to realise the very great difficulties o; t.l; power situation. As the war develops the strain upon our man-power and woman-power increases and we have not only reached the point when there is no surplus man-power available, but we have reached the point where it is becoming very difficult to satisfy all of our important needs. “We must remember that there are many demands in this war which we did not have to meet in the last war. There is. to begin with, a vast new demand for men for the Royal Air Force and for the great aircraft industry which supports it. There is also an entirely new demand for the civil defence services and the fire service, owing to the fact that we meet war in our own homes as well as on the battle fronts overseas. “As more and more men are called up, the demand for women to take their places grows, and at present the services are badly in need of women to do work which was previously done by men, who thus are released for duties which women cannot undertake. Although there is no conscription for women for the forces in the normally-accepted use of that word, there certainly is compulsion for war work, and compulsion will be applied in cases where this is necessary. “Our experience so far in dealing with the call-up of women has been very favourable. Girls generally are ready and willing to do what is wanted, and I need hardly say that they are most anxious to help their country.”