GIRLS TO REGISTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 39, 17 February 1943, Page 4

GIRLS TO REGISTER

BY FRIDAY OF NEXT (P.A.) Weellington, Feb. 16. Girls who have attained their 18th. birthday but have not yet reached their 20th. birthday are required to register for work of national importance. Registration must be made before Friday, February 26. Girls subsequently attaining the age of 18 years or ceasing to be exempted under any of the exemptions provided in Employment Order No. 8, which has now been gazetted, must then register within seven days. Registrations should be lodged with the nearest manpower officer. The Minister of Industrial Manpower, the Hon. A. McLagan, said out essential industries required a large number of girls if we were to meet the war production required of us, and already many younger girls had voluntarily moved into these industries. Still more were needed urgent ly in order to fulfil the increasingly important part expected of New Zea« land in the South Pacific. The Minister said he realised that rhe direction of minors would be re-, garded with some concern by many . parents. The greatest care would 14 ' taken to ensure that any direction given would not be detrimental to tlie long-range welfare of the young person concerned. His department would regard itself as having a special responsibility in that direction. Girls who were in essential or othel important positions, said the Minister, were unlikely to be directed elsewhere, except where very special circumstances arose, and no girls under 21 would be directed to work outside the locality in which they resided. Furthermore, girls of 18 and 19 would not be directed to mental hospitals or licensed hotels unless they volunteered for such work and were obviously suitable for it and the parents agreed. He emphasised that full-time students at schools, training colleges and university colleges were exempt from registration!. In the case of parttime students who must register, nothing would be done to jeopardise their studies. Exemptions under tha order were full-time students afl schools, training colleges and univerj sity colleges; those already registered for work of national importances those serving full-time in the forces or employed by the Armyj Navy or Air Force; persons in receipt! of Social Security or invalids' benej fits; inmates of hospitals or the In 4 stitute for the Blind; persons within the scope of the Mental Act; and persons undergoing sens fences of imprisonment or detained in Borstals. There is an on all employers to see that the registration of employees affected is made!