WOMAN'S PART IN THE WAR.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2630, 27 November 1915, Page 6

WOMAN'S PART IN THE WAR.

Sir, —In your paper this morning appeared a small paragraph relating to a letter which was received by the Defence Minister from a New . Zealand girl. This young lady, 20 years of ago, demands the right to serve in • the trenches, shoulder to shoulder with tno men. Now, sir, I am also a New Zealand girl, and may claim to be Miss Patriotic's equal-in avoirdupois (her weight Biie mentions as 10st'.). lam also a rider (with room for improvement), and as for shooting, I am not hopeless, atf fiye out. of tea,tijnes I aril nearly' 1 certain" to hit' a bottle, on the i gate-post—provided for that purpose. I am two years Miss Patriotic's senior, and in all seriousness I may say I am „ perfectly healthy, energetic, and strong and willing to work in any capacity whatever to;help New Zealand do her bit for the Old Country, and there are hundreds of others only waiting a clianco to do the same. Is there no opening for us? Would it not.be feasible to train a squad of ui for fetch-and-carry • work at the front? Many of our men lose their lives i» this way. Cojild .we not relieve them of theso duties, thus enabling them to ooncentrate their energies in other directions more unsuitable for women? If someone with a brain for organisation could see a'way to utilise the really unlimited energies of the young Women of New Zealand, I am certain it would be worth while. It need bo no disgrace to the manhood of the country, should the women of New Zealandf help a little. The boys have done magnificently, and will do still more without a murmur. Must 'wo hun- • dreds and thousands of girls 6tay home and read the Roll of Honour, and suffer as much, if not more, than wo ever would 'mid shot and shell? One thing I should like tp mention : In many caseß families with ho representatives at tha front, having no boy to rond, would gladly send a girl—Defence Department permitting. For, instance, I know of a family where the son is medically unfit, but his sister is quite papable of undertaking strenuous duties, and is ansioua to gj in any capacity to do her "bit.'' No opening. Another .family I know, wbere tho son. is the breaii-winner, and finds it a much harder way of serving his country by, running the farm at liome, rather than in tho trenclie on Gallipoli. His sister, though, may fail to run the farm, should he enlist, she might take her brothers place in some respects as a soldier of i-lio King. „ , ~ Hoping this m&y call forth Boms sng* gestions from thinkers on this subject, and thanking you_ for the valuable space.—l am, etc., _ „„„ „ "ANOTHER COUNTRY BUMPKIN.'*