200 Additional N.Z. Women To Serve Overseas

Northern Advocate, 18 November 1941, Page 6

200 Additional N.Z. Women To Serve Overseas

[Per Press Association. —Copyright.] WELLINGTON. This Day. The Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) announced that 200 women will shortly be selected for service, in the Middle East with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. “The unit will be entitled the New Zealand Women’s War Service Auxiliary (overseas hospital division)” said Mr. Fraser, “and will be largely composed of voluntary aids, with a small number of women for clerical duties in hospitals. “The work of the organising units is being arranged through the W.W.S.A., which is the official Government organisation for the co-ordination and allocation of women’s war work. Equipping, Mobilising “Voluntary aids will be selected by the National Voluntary Aid Council from members of the Order of St. John and the Red Cross Society, and the central executive of the W.W.S.A. will make arrangements for equipping and mobilising those selected. “Women required for clerical duties will be selected by the central executive of the W.W.S.A., from nominations received through its district committees. Applications will be confined to members of the W.W.S.A. and its affiliations, and to ensure that the unit will be as efficient as possible the highest standards will be required.” Whangarei Advice A further draft of 200 women will be selected to serve with the Middle East forces overseas, according to advice received by the Whangarei Branch of the Women's War Services Auxiliary from Headquarters at Wellington. The draft is to comprise four officers, 182 voluntary aids for the nursing section and general duties, and 14 women for clerical duties. The unit will be entitled, the New Zealand Women’s War Services Auxiliary (Overseas Hospital Division) and will be under the control of the Matrcn-in-Chief, Army Nursing Service.

Single women who have attained the age of 23 years on December 1, 1941, but have not attained the age of 34 years on December 1, 1941, will be eligible for service. Widows coming within the age specifications and without dependents may be considered eligible if suitable. Medical Standards The medical standards required for service overseas with the Army Nurswith, and those selected will require ing Service will have to be complied with, and thos selected will require to be vaccinated and inoculated. Service will extend for the duration of the war and 12 months thereafter. Rates of Pay Rates of pay before embarkation | have been announced as follows: Privates, 5/- per day; corporals, 6/-; sergeants, 7/-; officers, 10/-. ' Each woman will be entitled to a bonus oi £3 before embarkation. The minimum allotment for these rates of pay is 2/- in each case. After embarkation, the following scale will be in force:—Privates, 6/-; corporals, 7/-; sergeants, 8/6; officers, 11/-. Minimum allotments will be 3/- per day in the case of privates and corporals, 3/6 for sergeants and officers 5/-. Army pay of those women finally selected will commence from the date they depart from their homes for mobilisation. A uniform allowance of £4O Las been provided for. Of this amount, £3O is payable in New Zealand, and £lO in the Middle! East. The Women’s War Services Auxiliary is primarily concerned with the selection of the women for clerical duties, the National Voluntary Council being the body to undertake the selection of the Voluntary Aids required for the nursing service. Clerical Service The clerical section is to comprise qualified shorthand-typistes with general office experience. Personality, general physique, and special qualifications will also be taken into consideration. Women under selection will be required to give a practical test in shorthand and typing, their, speed in shorthand to be in the vicinity of 130 words per minute, typing speed to be 60 words per minute.

Only those women who have been active members of their organisations as at September 30, 1941 should bo regarded as eligible for selection. In view.of the fact that the central executive of the W.W.S.A. will be concerned with the final selection of 14 women only for clerical duties it is not considered desirable that each district committee throughout tho Dominion will have an opportunity of submitting nominations. Committees in the main provincial districts only will be charged with this task. The final selection will be allocated in accordance with the provincial districts. Allocations Tc Districts, Twenty-eight nominations are to be forwarded to the central executive, and from these, the 14 women will be selected. Allocations, based on density of population in the different provinces have been arranged as follows:—Auckland. B'(4 lo be selected); Taranaki. 2 (1); Hawke’s Bay, 2 (1); Wellington, 6. (3); Marlborough, Nelson and Westland, 2 (1); Canterbury, 4 <2); Otago-Southland, 4 (2). One From Whangarei

One nomination will be forwarded from the Whangarei committee, as part of the Auckland allocation. District committees will reauire to contact not only those organisations associated and allied with the W.W.S.A. but any other organisations which are training girls for war work and which have on their strength women with the necessary qualifications for the work concerned. No woman is to be selected if she is engaged upon essential work and is irreplaceable in that industry. In this respect women who are in the woollen manufacturing industry or engaged in munition work or other urgent war supply work should net be selected, but recommendations will be taken if it can be shown that the employer is willing to release the woman and an adequate replacement of her services can be made.