GRACIOUS GIRL MOTORISTS

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8178, 3 May 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

GRACIOUS GIRL MOTORISTS

By A MERE MAN. In no sphere of work, except iperhaps on the land, had woman so much prejudice to overcome, so many difficulties to face, as in the motoring world when she fir.it made her appearance on the road as a professional driver. Although she had been at the motor wheel tor many years, the innovation met with marked disapproval, and it is certainly safe to say that the war gave woman the opportunity of proving that she is iust as capable of efficient automobile driving as man.

In France and Be’gium ambulancedriving brought women very close to death, and many of them exhibited such devotion and heroism that they have lxw>n awarded proud decorations by even* one of the Allied countries.

As a transport driver, woman’s ser- \ ices in the war zone have been invaluable. At home all the Government department's have employed women drivers with conspicuous success. They have proved wonderfully able, conscientious, and reliable. Effk lency alone, however, could never have brought to the woman driver ; the undoubted popu’aritv -she lias attained. It. is her quick anl ready sympathy which has rendered her so * peculiarly adaptable to driving.

Watch her on the road. How ready she is gracefully to give way 'tlo a better car; how quick to draw up for a restive horse, to avoid a straying dog or chicken. Her eye is ever watchful for the children, the infirm, and the aged. A fellow-motorist in trouble can always rely upon her offer of assistance ; a branded pedestrian is sure of a lift from her.

In the garage yard. too. she is a 'great favourite —an astonishing fact which can only be appreciated by those who were aware of the existing atmosphere of antagonism when first the “ehauffeuse’’ was suggod 'd. v :w there are wil'ing hands always ready to swing a car or change a tyre, for the chauffeur has experienced her willingness to help flint on those lighter jobs in which i •woman's delicate touch is so effective, and he appreciates her readiness t > lend assistance on a “two-handed” job. jue woman chauffeur has “ made good” by her graciousness.