H—lla

.Auxiliary performed valuable work by co-operating with the National Service Department in .maintaining contact with members of the Women's Land Service and by .acting in an advisory capacity on the general welfare of Service personnel and the utilization of women in war work. (At the beginning of April, 1946, the Hon. the Minister of National Service proposed •that the Central Executive and district committees should merely go into recess so as to be ■on call for national campaigns and for emergencies of any kind. This course was accordingly ■adopted.) (iii) The Woman's Auxiliary Air Force 138. The Women's Auxiliary Air Force was established in January, 1941. Some •8,000 women volunteered for this Service, 4,753 actually -serving, 21 officers and 114 •other ranks going on active service overseas. The corps reached a peak strength of -3,746 in August, 1943. By VJ Day the strength had dwindled to about 2,500, while .at the 31st March, 1946, there were only 629 women still serving. Members of this Force were mainly employed as shorthand-typists, clerks, domestics, kitchen workers, and dental and medical assistants. During the period of peak mobilization in New .Zealand many were employed on important technical work, such as radio location. (iv) The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps 139. The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps came into being towards the end of 1941, when a draft of 30 volunteers embarked for the Middle East. Five thousand women actually served during the course of the war. The corps reached a peak strength of 4,589 in July, 1943. Some 920 members of the corps served overseas. By VJ Day the strength of this Auxiliary Force had shrunk to about 2,500, while at the 31st March, 1946, 969 women were still serving, 91 being overseas at that date. (v) The Women's Royal Naval Service (N.Z.) 140. The strength of the Women's Royal Naval Service in New Zealand rose steadily .after the inception of the corps in May, 1942, to a peak strength of 519 in October, 1944. In all, 1,459 applications to join the Service were received, and 640 women .actually, served. By March, 1946, the strength had decreased to 297. Most of the women .served ashore in clerical or domestic work, although some were engaged in manning motor-launches in the Auckland Harbour. SECTION IX.—CONTROL OF DEPARTURES FROM NEW ZEALAND 141. The mobilization of man-power is the most important aspect of war organization. Safeguarding the man-power reserve by preventing the departure of persons liable for service, is, of course, an important corollary. Provision for control of ■departures from New Zealand was accordingly made in the Oversea Passengers Emergency Regulations gazetted on the day before the outbreak of war. Under these regulations no person of the age of sixteen years or over could leave New Zealand for .any other country unless in possession of a written permit issued by the Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs. 142. The regulations were administered by the Department of Internal Affairs, but all applications for exit permits were referred to the National Service Department so that an applicant's military and industrial obligations might be reviewed and recommendations made accordingly. As a general rule applications were recommended only in exceptional circumstances. Over the last year of war, however, greater latitude was introduced, particularly in respect of returned servicemen who had completed their military obligations and especially those returned servicemen who had been offered s, means of rehabilitation overseas. Other categories given favourable consideration were the wives ancU fiancees of Allied servicemen where the servicemen concerned had

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