The Levy on Women.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 302, 21 December 1931, Page 6

The Levy on Women.

To the Editor. Dear Sir,—The matter of unemployment among women is still of such urgency that I trust you will again permit me some space in your paper. A considerable amount of discussion and inquiry is now developing with reference to the use that is being made —or is proposed to be made—of the contributions of women under the unemployment tax. It is already clear that the amount being subscribed is sufficient to finance schemes for women on the lines of the schemes already in operation for men. The contributions made by the women teachers of the primary schools in the Wellington education district are around £I6OO per year. Taking six times that number for riie whole Dominion, the contribution is £9600. The girl students of the training colleges are contributing at the rate of about £720 per year, thus the sum of at least £10,320 is being subscribed annually by the women primary school teachers. Then there are the women teachers of the secondary schools, technical and private schools, and of these there are a considerable number. Add to these the girls and women in offices, shops, factories and the waitresses, etCj—all of whom contribute to the fund. A likely computation puts the number of women workers at fifteen times the number of women teachers in primary schools (at least), and as women teachers as a class probably receive higher salaries than some others, let us compute the sum contributed at ten times their £10,320 —making a sum of £103,200 available for the needs of women thrown out of employment. Assuming that there are 45,000 women workers throughout the Dominion, there cannot be more than 5000 unemployed on account of financial depression. The amount subscribed reckoned at £103,200 allows £2O per year, or 8s per week to each of these 5000. Cannot this be made the basis of some suitable scheme ? So far, attention has been directed to giving domestic employment only, but in each case, professional or otherwise, the women subscribing have a right to demand suitable provision for those in their own ranks. Since clearly there will be money, enough available we trust that those concerned with the expending of this money will not delay in making the necessary organisation. —I am, etc., L. HARGREAVES President, Wellington Branch. Women Teachers’ Association.