WOMEN AND WAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24555, 10 April 1943, Page 8

WOMEN AND WAR

AIE FORCE STAFFING MANY AND VARIED DUTIES (0.C.) HAMILTON, Friday Although there is a large number of women and girls employed at a Royal New Zealand Air Force stores depot in the Waikato district, there is still an acute shortage of female personnel. Highly technical work has been entrusted to women who are specially trained for the purpose. There are machine operators, welders and draughtswomen, while others are doing luminising and engraving work, as well as repairing delicate instruments. 1 A school has been established where women are taught s instrument repair work. When these recruits are qualified they' are drafted to air stations in various parts of the Dominion to carry on the work they have been taught to do. The airframe section employs a number of women who repair the fabric of aircraft and spray the wings and fuselage in patterned camouflage. Tents required for use overseas are repaired by women in 'this Waikato station, while uniforms are repaired, reconditioned, and altered as required. Thirty girls are employed in the stores, receiving and issuing goods and recording all receipts and outgoings. Still more women are wanted to cope with the work the stores are required to handle. All the telephone services are in charge of women, who work in shifts throughout flu* 21 hours. Wanfs also service the wireless station, having been specially trained for the work at a wireless school. Cipher work is also entrusted to women, two of whom are commissioned. A large number of women are employed throughout the station as clerks and typists and in attending to the multifarious records required to be kept in a unit with so many ramifications as the Waikato station. At the aircraft repair depot women are to be seen busily at work attired in overalls. The members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in the district are comfortably housed and are well cared for. As near as 'possible an eight-hour day is worked, and evening and week-end leave is granted on a liberal scale. The working conditions are made as easy as possible, consistent with conscientious service. There is strict supervision in the hostels and at the outer depots, and no trouble has been experienced. The girls and women are happy and find their work congenial. HELPERS NEEDED HOSPITAL EMERGENCY AIDS, COOKS AND NURSES In order to meet an emergency that has arisen the Auckland Hospital Board is making an urgent appeal for numbers of voluntary aids, cooks and nurses to take up duty almost immediately at the Eilerslio Hospital. Recently this hospital at the racecourse has been providing for 80 or 90 patients, but the buildings are capable of accommodating up to 000. An influx of some hundreds of patients is expected shortly, and it is possible the numbers may be added to later on. The chairman of the board, Mr. Allan J. Moody, said yesterday that this was a gesture by tin* board to assist in an emergency, but it was not to be taken as in any way indicating a permanent change in the hoard's policy of control and management of the Ellcrslie Hospital. The term "voluntary" aid, he said, was really a misnomer, as these workers, in accordance with the terms of the Government's request, were all paid, approximately at the rate of £156 a year. The board was more concerned at present with the kitchen staff, and if cooks who were not voluntary aids were employed they would be paid at award rates. Mr Moody said that steps had been taken yesterday to acquire a large number of beds, and all arrangements were in hand for the necessary food supplies and other equipment. EGGS AND ORANGES NEEDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN MINISTER'S CLAIM DENIED A denial of the reiterated statement of the Minister of Marketing, the Hon. J. G. Barclay, that arrangements have been in operation in Auckland for the distribution of eggs for small children is made by the New Zealand Women's Food Value League. A promise made by the Minister of Supply, the Hon. 1). G. Sullivan, that a ration scheme for small children would shortly be put into operation has not been kept, states the league. The Ministers of Supply, Marketing and Health were approached toward the end of last year, and the lastnamed gave a definite assurance that a plan for supplying young children with eggs and oranges would be inaugurated. Not only has this not been done, the league states, but an attempt is being made to hand over the responsibility to the Plunket Society. In England, special provision has been made for small children through ordinary rationing channels. Here, the Government has assumed control of the supplies, but has evaded the responsibility that goes with such control. The league has in its office details of the English scheme, and it offers to_ supply this material to those in authority. APPEAL UPHELD EMPLOYMENT OF CLERK (0.C.) HAMILTON, Friday Reserved decision has been given by the Auckland Industrial Manpower Committee in the case in wliich the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, appealed against the decision of the Hamilton manpower officer, Mr. L. McKinnon, allowing Leonard Mead, a clerk employed by the company, .to take up employment with his father, Mr. F. W. Mead, a printer. After referring the matter to Wellington, the committee decided to uphold the appeal, and to order Mead to continue his employment with the company. PENSION ER WORKERS Support for a remit from the Manurewa Borough Council advocating nn extension of the earning limit of pensioners to £2 a week as a war measure, was given bv the Auckland Suburban Local"Bodies' Association, Owing to the shortage of labour, it was stated, the Manurowa council had found it necessary to rely upon pensioners for maintenance work. These men had been found quite capable of doing the work, hut their present earning limit of £1 a week prevented the council from employing them more regularly.