AGREEABLE SURPRISE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 3 July 1943, Page 4

AGREEABLE SURPRISE

CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND VIEWS OF MAJOR C. F. SKINNER London. July 1. “I must say 1 have been very agreeably surprised since I came to England,” said Major C. F. Skinner, M.C., M.P. for Motueka. whose Stay is drawing to a close. He addressed over 100 meetings throughout Britain on the New Zealand war effort, and visited nearly 100 factories.

“I came here expecting to see long faces because of the bombing, and to find people half starved, but I have not seen any despondency and often have been unabl ? to eat all the food set before me. I am greatly impressed by the work women are doing and also the amenities provided for workers in factories. Women are working as much as 104 hours daily in shifts.

“There are any amount of girls working as machine setters and in key positions, who are doing over 70 hours weekly. Some of them, after 18 months’ experience, are doing work which would have been considered impossible for them to do two years ago, because it was believed to be outside a woman’s sphere.

“I saw some girls working to .5 of a thousandth of an inch, others were grinding lenses to a millionth of an inch. This is such fine work that it has to be done by light fays. I have seen women working on apparatus from small arms to naval guns, from trainer planes to Lancaster bombers. “Regarding amenities for workers, I have seen many canteens beautifully constructed with absolutely the latest equipment—just a mass of chromium and enamel utensils—catering for 3000 to 4000 people. “Wherever I have been, people have been more than friendly. I have found folk everywhere with relatives in New Zealand. It has been a most interesting visit, and I have a much greater appreciation of the work being done here.”—P.A. Special Correspondent.