INDUSTRY CAN HELP

Te Ao Hou, September 1961, Page 29

INDUSTRY CAN HELP A very good system of moving to town is that worked out by Amos Softgoods Ltd. of Wellington, whose friendly personnel manager, Mr White, brought a group of Maori girls from Wairoa to the big city a year ago, and has done a great deal to help them to get settled in. Mr White asked Mrs Lena Manuel, the Maori Welfare Officer in Wairoa, to find the girls for him; in response, the sent him a list of available girls with their school qualifications and other details. He then travelled to Wairoa to meet the girls and their parents, told them about the job, engaged them, and paid for their journey to Wellington. He engaged twelve, to arrive at the rate of two a week. Most of these girls had had three or even four years' secondary education; only few of them had commercial sewing experience. At the factory: Mrs D. Hunia (above) of the Arthur family of Porirua, is a more experienced worker in whom the girls have confidence. Teia Pomana (below) came to Wellington under the Amos scheme.

View of the Amos softgoods Kilbirnie factory Lybia, Allies and Aroha relax with their radiogram in the weekend. Their flat, rented fully furnished, is shared by four girls

At the Wellington factory lunch room; left to right: Caei Te Aho (Waihua), Teia Pomana (Nuhaka), Aroha Te Aho (Waihua) and Lybia Huata (Huramua) Mr White promised the parents the girls would be properly trained for their jobs, that their welfare would be looked after outside working hours. He met them at the train, advanced them two weeks' wages, drove them around on a tour to see the city; took them to their lodgings he had arranged. The question of accommodation cost him a lot of trouble—Mr White had to do a good Caeo Te Aho finishing a garment. deal of persuading to get the girls into the very reputable hostel he had in mind. Things went very well in this hostel until there was a change of manageress and the girls found they could not get on with the new matron. In any case they did not altogether like hostel life and preferred to go flatting. Mr White told Te Ao Hou he spent a good deal of time trying to find flats by answering newspaper advertisements. He wrote as many as 10 to 20 letters a week; got some replies, had long discussions with the landlords and was usually successful in persuading them to take the girls. Some of them are still living in these flats, as they proved very good tenants; in other cases when the flats were only temporary, the girls moved to Pendennis hostel which meanwhile had reopened. Meanwhile Mr White is looking for more flats in wellington. (Any offers?)