WOMEN TRAVELLERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23969, 20 May 1941, Page 8

WOMEN TRAVELLERS

j BRITISH BUSINESS HOUSES MEN SERVING IN FORCES LOXDOX, April Q4 Commercial travelling is the latest war work to be taken up by women, j One of Britain's biggest firms roanufaci turing rayon and cotton goods lias re- | placed with young women 25 of its '.staff of commercial travellers who have i been called up for the services. These ! women—the youngest is aged 22—are : proving equal to the men in their sell- | ing powers. j "I could not be more satisfied with | the results these girls have brought : back after only a month on tour," the ! sales director said. "Many of them have ' never worked before. When we decided | to try the experiment we were apprei hensive. Some of the shopkeepers nad I for years done all their business with \ men. j "As more of our men travellers are i called up, their order books and cars ] will be taken over by women. In all, j we have a travelling staff of about 50, j covering the whole country." Some of the women travellers are the I wives of men in the services. One girl : previously worked in a bank. "I would j rather have a job like this any day, she said. "It is interesting and gb" es | me a chance to see the countryside. An official of the Commercial Travel* j lets' Association said: "We had a | women members before the war, roost'* I travelling with lingerie. Nov? several ; more women have joined , the assocl- : ation, the majority being women who have taken on the work from their soldier husband*. "Women who get work as 1 travellers now must be regarded as exceptionally lucky. Following the Limitation of S#* plies Order, many men travellers have lost their jobs and there are practically no vacancies now for travellers, either men or women."