REGISTER OF WOMEN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20619, 21 November 1941, Page 4

REGISTER OF WOMEN

DOMINION PREPARATION

WARTIME SERVICES (Per Press Association.) TAUPO, this day. A register of women throughout New Zealand is now being prepared, according to an announcement made by the Director of National Service, Mr. J. S. Hunter, at the annual conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation yesterday. Mr. Hunter also referred to the possibilities of wider use of the services of women in industry, including married women. “I was filled with pride on a recent visit to Auckland to see the number of women working in a munition factory,” said the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb, who also addressed the conference. Many of the women had not been engaged in industry before. Others who had retired long ago came back in answer to the nation’s call.

“Many of them leave their children with friends to go to the factory,” said Mr. Webb. “They are sacrificing their home life to the needs of national work. “The women of New Zealand are magnificent. The Government might have to arrange some form of nurseries where philanthropic women could care for the infants of those doing war work. We have a huge reservoir to draw on, and the services of willing women workers could well be used.

“A finer crowd of girls could not have been selected than the 30 who recently went to the Middle East, but it caused a storm of protest in the Labour movement so keen are girls to do worthwhile jobs, particularly beside their brothers and sweethearts overseas, that there was a feeling of resentment, as many of the girls selected come from families who could keep them. This is a reflex in the minds of girls working in industry who could not get away.”