NO APPLICATION MADE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 201, 26 August 1943, Page 2

NO APPLICATION MADE

WOMEN ON TRAMWAY TRACKS AT WELLINGTON (P.A.) Wellington, Aug. 24 In spite *of Mr. T. C. A. Hislop s statement to the contrary, I can say definitely that at no time during ihe last two months has there been any application made to the district manpower officer, the Controller of Manpower, or myself, for labour for the repair and maintenance of tramway tracks,” said the Minister of Industrial . Manpower, the Hon. A McLagan, to- . day. “It is true that on May 11, 1943, , an application was made by the tramways department for four labourers for work not specifically stated, but these were supplied.” After stating what occurred at the , meeting on August 10 the Minister said: “I emphatically repeat that at no time has a request been lodged for labour, male or female, for the repair of tramway tracks. At a meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday evening the general manager of the tramways assured me that he was prepared, to accept the district manpower officer’s statement on this point. Mr. His.op.. on the other hand, who, no doubt for go-->d and sufficient reason of his own, was not present at the meeting, is apparently not prepared to accept this statement as correctly setting out the position. Mr. Hislop’s accusation that, although I knew that the council had asked for a conference with the Prime Minister, I accentuated the City C?uncil’s difficulties by serving an ord-T on ' the council directing it not to engage women for tram track work, ignores what appears to me to be a point of some importance. Although the town clerk did not write to the Prime Minister until August 13 to ask tor a conference to discuss the manpower difficulties of the City Council, the tramways authorities, apparently without consulting the City Council, had earlier gone ahead with the selecting of women for track repair work, and pending a conference. In the Mayor s statement he alleges that the tramways committee inofrmed me that ‘it intended to keep faith with those (women) already engaged on this essential and urgent work till the Minister supplied men for the job.’ Actually the trams ways committee informed me that it intended to continue to employ the women on track repair work ‘so long as they are willing to do it.’ there being no qualification that their employment was to last only until men were supplied for the work. The tramways committee’s decision, as conveyed to me in a letter signed by the town clerk, was unqualified defiance of the direction I had given under Section 28 of the Industrial Manpower Emergency Regulations. Apparently the tramways committee decided to involve the City Council in this defiance of regulations without even consulting the City Courtcil. And after he had been a party to that decision of the tramways committee, the Mayor found himself unable to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss that and other matters the same afternoon. Finally, I am afraid I am unable to assist Mr. Hislop if he really fails to see why women should not be permitted to undertake labouring work of this nature. But I believe that the citizens of Wellington will understand his reasons, and I am able to assure the citizens that already six men have been directed to work on tramway track maintenance in place of the six women, who have been transferred to more suitable employment. and that arrangements have also been made for further additional male workers to be directed to this task.”