WOMEN IN OFFICES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17178, 4 June 1919, Page 8

WOMEN IN OFFICES.

SOLDIERS' OLD POSITIONS.

MEN TO BE TAKEN BACK.

POST OFFICE AND BANKS.

The matter of the retention of girls and women in positions formerly occupied by men who wont to the war has recently been engaging the attention of representatives of the soldiers throughout New Zealand. Inquiries were made yesterday as to the position in Government Departments in Auckland, hanks, and other offices,

The chief postmaster, Mr. W. Gee, stated that since the beginning of the war, a total of about 40 eirlfl had been employed ill various branches of tho post office. In every case, it was made clear, that the position -was merely a temporary on?, pending the return of employees from the war. Now ttwt the men we taginarag to resume work, tho girls were giving up their positions. Seven left the post office left Saturday, making a total of about 20 who had 'made way for the returning men. It was anticipated that practically all the temporary help would have left the service in about four months' time, by which time all tbo soldiers' were expected to have returned. The natural increase of staff, however, would probably absorb some of the trained and efficient workers, in addition to returning soldier employees. Facilitating Soldiers' Eetum.

The Department was doing all i" its power to facilitate the soldiers' return to work. Many men. not formerly on the | staff, had been employed, numbering 40 in I one department alone—the letter-carriers' division. The total number of returned | men in all departments not previously | employed by the Department was given as 60. Speaking generally of the replacement of girls by returned soldiers, Mr. Geo said this was not always practicable. " These girls have, in many cases, been carefully trained to their work,"- he said, •'and there would have been no sense in turning them off in order to give tempor-1 ary employment to returned soldiers, be- J cause these, again, would only have had i to make way within a few months for the men whose places the girls originally took- | We are doing our best to help all returned , soldiers, and have done right alon*. and . when our men come back they will find . their positions ready and waiting for them." The Call of Home TieE. Managers of banks and offices also gave | the assurance that, although girls had been largely employed, not one of them ! would be retained when the original occui piers of their positions returned. This did not necessarily mean that all tho girls would be thrown out of employment, as increase in business would make it necessary that the services of really competent workers should be retained. " There is no need for the soldiers to worry about our keeping the girls on too long," said the manager of one of the leading banks yesterday. " They are leaving faster than we want as it is. Domestic arrangements and homo ties have already taken a considerable number, including several soldiers' wives, whose husbands havo returned." A total of 38 girls has been employed by this bank during the past four years, and the manager stated that the innovation had been most successful. " The employ- j ment of women clerks in the bank has [ not in any way interfered with the position regarding men." he said. " We do not take on male rlerks at all, save as probationers, and the work under these conditions is not such as would appeal to grown men."

The Women's Standpoint. The managers of other offices repeated Ihc assurance that all girls who had undertaken the work of men on servieo fully understood that the positions wero only temporary. " In any case," said one, " I think both sides should be considered in this matter of the employment of girls. Of course, it goes without saying that the men should all be reinstated in their old positions, but apart from that, the whole question should also bo looked at from the women's viewpoint. Many of them have lost husbands and sons'; still more have lost the men who were to have been their husbands and provided them with home ties. Thousands of girls will have to earn their livin" in the years to come who, in the ordinary course of events, would have become wives and mothers. They have now nothing to look forward to but such a future as they can make for themselves by their own work. Many of them have already made great sacrifices. It seems rather hard that there should bo so much resentment against their retention in business positions."