WOMEN IN WAR

Waikato Times, Volume 130, Issue 21654, 14 February 1942, Page 11

WOMEN IN WAR

WILLING TO HELP WORK IN INDUSTRY Women have already taken a much larger place in the industrial war effort than was the case during the Great War, and leaders of women’s organisations say that even more arduous tasks will be undertaken as more men go into the armed forces. The general mobilisation has caused some labour problems in jobs that have hitherto been regarded as suitable for men only, the conducting of trams and the delivery of milk being particular cases, but it is considered that these should not present any difficulties apart from the limitations of women-power. “I cannot see any reason why women should not take men’s places to the same extent as in England,” said Miss Amy Kane, president of the Women’s Institute and a member of the executive of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary. “The only limitation is that we have not got the preponderance of women. In Britain there are about one million more women than men, but I think there are more men than women in New Zealand. I cannot see why women should not conduct trams and deliver milk. Some women are not suited for that type of work, but others could do it.” It had been proved in Britain that women were quite capable of conducting trams, Miss Kane said, and there were women in New Zealand who were delivering milk from the farms to the consumers. Women could be trained for the work and would be glad to help if the authori-

ties responsible asked them to help. “I think the authorities are a bit shy of calling on women for that sort of work,” she said, “but it must come. Women can be trained for many jobs now done by men. Of course, they could not undertake heavy lifting, but there would be no difficulty about delivering bottles of milk.” One Difficulty The Women’s War Service Auxiliary was finding women as fast as it could, but there was one great difficulty, she added. Most young women in New Zealand were in employment and were not inclined to leave a selected profession to take up war work. There was need for some adjustment to make full use of women-power, just as adjustments had to be made in regard to men in key positions. Women were quite keen to do war work, but they were naturally anxious about the future. Much voluntary work was being done by women who did not wish to go into full-time war work because of their regular employment elsewhere. A big part was also being played by women who had not worked out previously or had retired and returned to wartime tasks. Many women who had never been in factories before had responded magnificently to the call for more factory workers. Mss Kane also expressed the opinion that women were quite capable of playing a much larger part as transport drivers. Women had already taken over the driving of some of the lighter Post Office vans and others had been asked to undertake driving some of the heavy vans. In one South Island centre a unit had been attached to the fire brigade and was proving quite satis-

factory. Farm Workers There was a definite demand for labour on the land, Miss Kane said, but there, also, the men were shy of asking women to undertake work that had previously been done by men. There was also a difficulty about getting women to undertake farm work, but that was partly due to the fact that such work would be entirely new and strange. If the farmers would show a willingness to employ women and would undertake to coach them in farm work, a certain number of women could probably be placed on the land.