Palmerston North Girls Called to Wellington

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 57, 9 March 1943, Page 4

Palmerston North Girls Called to Wellington

MINISTER EXPLAINS SITUATION. It -was reported to tlio Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce recently that 50 girls were to be transferred from Palmerston North to Wellington for munitions work, an action against which a number of parents were objecting, It was stated that in some cases the fathers of the girls were serving in the forces and that a certain hardship would be experienced by the mothers. Objection was also expressed to sending girls to Wellington under existing conditions in that city when they would not be living with their parents. The Chamber of Commerce took the matter up with the Minister of Supply, suggesting Iliat instead of the girls going to Wellington, the work might be brought to Palmerston North as had been done in the case of Hamilton. Last night the Chamber received a reply from lion. D. G. Sullivan who said the proposal had been approved by Cabinet only after the circumstances had been fully investigated and they had been convinced there was no satisfactory alternative. “The policy of the Government is to spread work as much as possible, 7 ’ said the Minister, ‘ ; but the particular munition undertaking for which this labour is required is of considerable magnitude requiring a special set up housed under one roof and carried out on the chain system of manufacture under the supervision of an expert sent to the Dominion from the United Kingdom for this purpose. This munition is not one that lends itself to spread of manufacture of component parts throughout the Dominion with an essembly base in another locality. Your reference to hardship on mothers whose husbands may be in the armed forces, appears to bo based on a lack of knowledge of tlio procedure adopted in regard to selection of suitable girls for transfer. Firstly, the girls must be over 21 years of age. Secondly, the girls must have written consent of parents or guardians before being directed. The girls directed, or their parents, who consider they have special reasons for exemption have the right of appeal to the local Man-Power Committee. The girls are to be housed in a newly erected hostel conducted under the supervision of officers who have had special training in the running of similar establishments and whoso paramount consideration will be the welfare of the girls in their care. Had it been possible to place this work in a locality where the transfer of labour could have been avoided this would certainly have been done. ' ’ Mr. W. M. Sexton explained that the facts contained iu the Minister’s letter were not explained by th© departmental officer who came to Palmerston North to get girls. The result was the girls were in a panic. They had been told that if they were not in the Armed Services or essential industries, they would have to go to freezing works and the like. The resul was that there was a flood of Palmerston North girls joining up with the Armed Services. The girls were also told they would get £1 Os 6d. a week but nothing was said of the 60hour week expected of them instead of 40 hours. As regards the hostel, one had been erected but it had been fnlly booked out so that there might have been some difficulty as regards accommodation. However, from information given tho recent Drapers’ Conference, it seemed the Department was making every endeavour to overcome anomalies such as the surplus of girls in some departmental services not essential.

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