House Discusses Delivery Problem

Chronicle (Levin), 5 August 1948, Page 3

House Discusses Delivery Problem

WELLINGTON, August 4. The question of the resumption of household deliveries was aired again in the House of Repfesentatlves today. ' Miss Howard, answering Mr. D. . C. Kidd (Waimate, Opposition), said she had- seen the statement of a general practitioner that housewives were being crippled by a special ailment ' ' shopping bag neuritis. " Miss Howard added: "My department is investigating tliis matter for the purpose of ascertaining the extent and ineidence of the special ailmeiit referred to. " Mr. U. H. Mackley (Wairarapa, Opposition) refemng to Miss Howard 's reply, said the Minister had no sympathy for the women of New Zealand and she did not. uuderstand fully the problems of house keeping. Miss Howard, replying to what-she termed an "unwarranted statement" by the member for Wairarapa "who needn't sit there with a smilef on his face, " said she had been a housekeeper since she was a chiid of nine years. Possibly women today got "shopping bag neuritis" because they had the money with which to purchase what they required but women might also have got shopping bag neuritis not so many years ago when they had to do their shopping with a sugarsaek. She knew what shopping and liousekeeping problems were. She herself had experienced doing the family shopping and returning home on a bicyele and looking Jike a packhorse. She took strong exception to anyone who tried to make politicai capital by saying that she had no sympathy for the women of New Zealand. Miss Howard said that when she made her previous speech she was referring to conditions in Christchurch. Mr. W. H. Gillespie (Hurunui, Opposition) said that if the Government ; allowed conditions to prevail so that delivery services could be reinstated, then the problem would be solved but many tradesmen did not want to resume delivery services because .they did not want to employ more labour. The position in Christchurch was good compared with other cities. Mr. C. F. Skinner: There are firms in Wellington which, all through the war, never ceased to deliver. Mr. Gillespie said it had been suggested that husbands do the shopping for their wives but what sort of position would there be if husbands did the shopping when they were supposed to be at work? Mr. Kidd said that altliough conditions in Christchurch were better than elsewhere in New Zealand, that did not overcome the difficulty. If the lack of delivery services caused shopping bag neuritis . 4 . . Mr. Mackley: There is overwhelming evidence of the fact. Mr. Kidd: Well, the Government should do something about it. Mr. Kidd said he lioped the conference of New Zealand Women 's Institutes now in progress in Wellington, would request the Government to do something to ease the position. Because shops were closed on Saturday mornings, women were turned into packhorses and nothing else. Mr. Kidd, replying to an interjection by a Government member, said he did not agree with the 40-hour week. Mr. Nordmeyer said the Government had dond nothing to stop a retailer from delivering. There were many parts in , New Zealand where, all through the war, deliveries were made and the fact of the matter at present was that certain retailers had taken advantage of the war situation and used that as an excuse for not resuming a delivery service. He would give the lie direct to any person outside the House making the statement that the Government was hindering the restoration of deliveries. Petrol would be supplied, licences granted and every encouragement would be given tO dhable retailers resume their deliveries. The fault was of those private firms who had refused to recogriise their obligations to the community.