OPPOSITION BY MEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 284, 2 December 1941, Page 4

OPPOSITION BY MEN

WOMEN AMBULANCE DRIVER' PROTEST IN WANGAM 1 Piotesting against the action . ■:« Wanganui St. John Free Ambui.i Committee in appointing ■ -a ■ . . ambulance iltivers to succeed a< men. Messrs. H. Daly and V c Dillon, who have resigned, a >; ■> meeting of the Men's IranAuxiliary passed a resolution si I night expressing grace concern : I the future of ambulance tran.-p-. ' J Wanganui. , The Men’s Transport Auxihai c , ' voluntary organisation fornte i i; [months ago to assist the regular t land train for duties they would lout in an emergency. Mr. W. Ma ■ - ’ I was elected c hairman nt the n last night, and Mr. D. Ross wapointed sec retary, pro tern. | At one stage a motion was the meeting to lhe effect ti !women were appointed as amir drivers the auxiliary staff lefu to, act till lhe position teas clarilu hut pt was finally agreed to ask rcpi< ntatives of the Free Ambulance mittee to meet the auxiliary staff discuss the questions at issue. Two resolutions, moved by Mr I and seconded by Mr. A. Spin carried at the meeting, were: "We feel that the treatment derecl to Drivers Dillon and D.il. been most inconsiderate and i.n. and as a result of the action t,. are gravely concerned for lhe futiiof ambulance transport in \\ nui." "We, the Voluntary Auxiliary Mins Transport, alter 12 months' .-ati-ia lory service, bitterly oppose th. introduction of women on the .etv... and ask that lhe committee id : sider its decision.’’ Touching on the reasons wf . Messrs. Daly and Dillon tcs: e .n> if lhe service, Mr. Ross said t.u men had asked for shorter hours am ai. extra £1 a week. They had i n working 128 houu a week and ’ net weekly wage received by < man had amounted to £4 ,K i Palmerston North servtei ent;.' nine drivers and paid a weekly v ige of £5 15s. With Messrs. Daly I Dillon on the staff, the Wane. Free Ambulance had had the n. team in New Zealand. "It will , • possible to replace these nun, . , why they were allowed to go i> n' t understandable," Mr. Ross added The mens auxiliary, forme I : ' alleviate the position caused by so ninny of the voluntary staff bc.i.g called up for military duties, had given 4466 hours of service in 1_ months, an average of almost -:■> a Iman. They had attended 623 cases |no complaints had been receiv I, and 'everything had gone off exceptmnalK j well, Mi. Ross said. This contention iwas borne out by the citaiiman [the Flee Ambulance Comm.it'. Mi. W. J. Stone, who had praised the work of the auxiliary. Asking if it weie necc-.-aic fo: women to be appointed to th'- setv i< Mr. Ross said he did not kno ■ th*inside workings, but while it m... (” said that they were doing a service, it might also be I [that they were keeping men om f Ijobs. "1 don’t think the - .min e [realised they were slighting or . iting us, but they only have to o>k ■into the matter to see how dilli' [it will be to carry on," said Mr. I’. | The two men who had resigned la! given excellent service, one for -a [years and the other for five yens, said Mr. Spurdie. Two keener an i [more conscientious men could not re found, and they should have been retained in Wanganui instead of being (allowed to move on to Wellington [Each man was required to live on lhe premises, and after £1 a week was taken off for board the net v. age amounted to £4 3s a week. One of the drivers was married and found he could not keep a home on that ge. The opinion was expressed at the meeting that the introduction of women purely as ambulance dir.eimight be possible, but was out of the question in a district such as Wanganui. Ambulance vans w®e reci: .1 to traverse difficult hack-country, and sometimes it was necessary to carry stretcher cases three and four miles. Accommodation difficulties at tie ambulance station were also stress>.l After further discussion it is v agreed that a sub-committee of :hej Free Ambulance Committee be asked to meet the Men’s Transport A. v'-