THE EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES.

NZ Truth, Issue 151, 9 May 1908, Page 4

THE EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES.

In the Public Service circles the employment of females is not looked on with favorable eyes, and though the male grumbles and growls he hasn't the moral courage to raise a loud howl and dralw attention to the unfairness of thirigs, simply because he might be himself bumped out; on his pink ear. Anyhow, truth to tell, there are too many females m the Public Service, particularly m the Post and Telegraph Department, and to say the least dif . it, some of these femules get on amazingly well ; their progress is more marked than the mere male, and this paper, for the sake of these suppressed iliales, wishes to *say a few words. Now, without going, into details, "Truth" wishes to mention that at Weraroa^ there is a postmistress m charge who receives something like £120 per annum and quarters, which is equal to another £60' per year, but when it is mentioned that the said postmistress is separated from her spouse and receives alimony, it is up to (to use a sporting phrase) the stewards to ask a question. Now, here is another instance. Maitakau has a lady m charge of the post office who also receives something like £120, an<l_has an assistant, bless her heart, ang needless to. remark, the assistant does all the toil, while the postmistress apes the lady, or something of the sort m the social scale, and draws her pay regularly. Now, at Shannon (there isn't a female m chacge, huti there is an Imperial pensioner who receives £iSO per annum* for services rendered m the past and on top of this he receives' £lso per annum from- the paternal New Zealand Government, and has free quarters, which is equivalent to' another £60 per annum. Now, this is a rotten state of affairs generally. The postal officials right throughout the_ Dominion are i a sweated lot, w^ose hope of promotion seems very small. The females .get on well, and Joe Ward, as Postmaster-General, ought to hearken and shake things up.