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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 175, 3 November 1941, Page 2

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HBn made tbe i a So ( Corps. Lsa i i 1 fa (2) n s. training ob t a ions, Avhich will enable ort to reach its maximum less. The compilation of a register of :he women-powe.r of the Dominion s a very important function, as it Si essential that the Government should have the fullest possible neasure of knowledge of the- wo, nen-power that will be available l'o«' var purposes. The register is, of course, founded dii the voluntary effort of the women md girls of the Dominion, and ?vcry woman and girl is asked to register with the Auxiliary, even though they may not be in a position to undertake immediate training, or perform any service, they should af [east register, so that their qualifications may be known. By the word "co-ordinate" is meant that a'.l the activities and organisations of the Dominion should be registered so that no matter to what other organisation women may belong, they have a common meeting ground in the Women's War Service Auxiliary. It was for this reason that all women's organisations were asked to send representatives to form committees in ?nch district, and throughout the Dominion a Council, and from that, council in Wellington a centra! Executive, that would be able to work ;ind control the organisation with the least possible delay. It was seen that it was not possible for the different societies to prepare for emergencies apart from each other, because by doing this there would necessarily, and undoubtedly, be a lot )f overlapping. Women's War Service Auxiliary committees have now jeen formed throughout the Dominon, and representatives elected from :he Red Cross, Plunket Society, the Drder of St. John, Lady Galway Guild, and all societies in the Do, liinion. These committees are now 'unctioning in sixty-five districts, :ogether with approximately one lundred and twenty sub-centres. Their first duty is to see that every ivoraan in the district is registered, rvhich after all is only taking a census- of the woman-power. These registrations do not bind :he; members to do anything. A registrant is merely asked to state what she is. doing, and what she is , capable of doing in an cmergenc3 r . if a woman is on a farm she merely states "doing farm work" and "on 'arm" and she would not be asked .o do anything further. If, however, i married woman (not a farmer's wife) states that she has been used j :o factory work, school teaching, s :e!ephone work, or any other work >f a like nature, when she was , single, it is deemed neccssary to . enow these tilings, so that if an , jmergency arises she could be ap- j proached, and if agreeable, be draft- | i cd back into these occupations, if md when, the need docs arise. Besides ascertaining what Avomen have .Deen trained for in the past, the Women's War Service Auxiliary is ilso anxious to know if they arc training for anything at present. If they are the fact should also do noted, and if any emergency should arise, what they are training for now, Avould be balanced against what they already know, and they would: be asked to do the Avork that was considered most urgent.

If all the women and girls in New Zealand had been preparing lor extra work, the duties of the Women's War Service Auxiliary would merely be a corordinating and directing body, but on the compilation of .the register it was found that quite a number of women and girls were not training to do anything, so the Women's War Service Auxiliary undertook to train them in any activity that appealed to them, Avhich training was not being undertaken by another organisation. There are quite a number of women wdio feci that they would not make good V.A.D.'s or nurses, but they feel they could be used to advantage as cooks, clerical workers, signallers,

and other work of that nature, so therefore the Women's War Service Auxiliary set about and procured the facilities for training them in those various activities without asking them to give up their present employment. In the case of emergency, the Women's War Service Auxiliary felt that it was essential that every woman in the Dominion should know something about First Aid, as it was felt, after the terrible bombing that has taken place in the other •countries, the avo~ man or girl, without any knowledge of this work, would be quite at a loss to know what to do, so the registrants with the Auxiliary were all asked, if they could possibly do so, to take a course of First Aid. Then the Women's War Service Auxiliary desired that every young girl should be trained in discipline and arrangements were made Avliereby the girls could be trained in military drill. By drilling together, not as members of separate organisations, but as a co-operative body, it was thought that all petty jealousies and friction that unfortunately do sometimes arise between different groups might be avoided, and their loyalty as Ntew Zealanders, as well as their loyalty to their own organisation, would be strengthened.

From this it will be seen that it is impossible for the Women's War Service Auxiliary to work against the interests of any Society, and it is not the aim of the Auxiliary trt interfere with any of the work that is being done with any other sow ciety. All the Women's War Service Auxiliary seeks to do, is to have unity of service and control and one central point where all war work can be directed from. Pen haps this point can be made clear if we. like the Women's War Service Auxiliary to a Bureau; they have the records of what everyone is capable of doing, and if they are already working with any Society. The Women's War Service Auxiliary, is not, therefore, compaarble with an ordinary Bureau, inasmuch as it trains people for useful service in the different organisations. Resist, rants are trained in work which will help New Zealand's war effort to the utmost, and in consolidating this effort we can. and will, help to the full the Government and the War Effort,