WOMEN REPLACE THE MEN.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144852, 2 December 1915, Page 7

WOMEN REPLACE THE MEN.

NATIONAL REGISTRATION WORK. ZEPPELIN RAIDS~DISREGARDED. The gallant work that is being done by the women-folk in England in the absence o£ the able-bodied men who arc serving at the front is referred to in a letter from a resident of Hull—a married lady—writing to her brother in Christchurch, under (late ot October 10. “Don’t you worry about me, she says. “I am not scared out of my wits or my night’s repose by Zeppelin scares: Hull is as dark as a dungeon now, and when we were coming homo tho other night wo simply had to feel our way, hut wo have got quite used to it. 1 am hard at Work at tho Guildhall at registration business from 10 till 6 p.m.. and sometimes I stay on till 8 p.m. I get up at 6 o’clock every morning, get my house work done, then go oil to tho Government work. I have bceu chosen with six other women to do the indexing. Think of putting through 000 names into alphabetical order. Vi e have finished the men and are now starting on tho women. Every soul in. England from 15 years to 6o years, raaio and female, is supposed tq ho registered. I would have written before, but my hand was so tired with writing, but I am getting; used to it now. 1 would not be our ot this excitement for anything, it is so interesting and full of thrills. I see rod badly and foci I want to kill. This does not read well, does it? Primitive passions, eh I When the world is so drenched with blood, the blood of onr sons and loved ones, you see red somewhat. I wish I were ten years younger, then I would bo at tho front. “Kitchener’s hew army is doing well. I think at last England is really awake. Munitions are being turned out more satisfactorily, but these strikes are a scandal. The truth is.tho workers have been fed on- peace talk for so many years, they find it somewhat difficult, to right-about-face, and, being English, and slow, into the bargain, they take some rousing. . The percentage of married men who have gone is enormous; I speak with knowledge, being on the registration work. “The other night I was working late at the Guildhall, and the buzzers for the Zeppelins went. In an instant the whole place was plunged into darkness. We had to grope our way nut of tho building, and ■ and I walked three miles home. Tho trams put out all lights and ran into tiro different termini in the dark. The rush for the cars was indescribable, hut wc felt safer on our feet. The walk home was weird in tho extreme. We just had to grope our way, continually hanging into people, hut everyone was most good-natured, taking it as a huge joke. The people were more interested than scared. Tho tram tops are all painted dark blue. Tho pavements at different parts and at the corners are painted white, so yon can see where tho road begins and" the pavement ends. White signs arc put at the different turns of the roads leading out of town.' The people look just like ghosts in the darkness, and one gets plenty of thrills. One is constantly running up against barbed wire entanglements or special constables on the outskirts. A friend of mine- in a munition factory tells me that within 36 hours of the time she starts on a shell, some of them perhaps arc fired at the Huns, so she feels she js a real helper.”