"DOT-DASH-DOT!"

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2795, 13 June 1916, Page 6

"DOT-DASH-DOT!"

MORE WORK FOR THE GIRLS

TELEGRAPHIC CLASS STARTED

Both in tile Old Country 'and, America the girl telegraphist is an accepted factor in the community. Girls are usually quick to .grasp the Morse code, and, as a rule, malm good clean operators, always providing that they-are in good health. , In New Zealand the female operator is not unknown, but up till this '.week the Government has not deemed it advisable or necessary to' -train girls in the work as a set policy. But the war has brought many changes, and created many avenues of labour for girls and women that hitherto "have been sacred to man. The public are perhaps not aware that the P. muLT. Department have so far putj 1055 men into khaki since the war broke out, and applications have been received at headquarters' for leave for another eighty-five men for a similar ~"\ purpose, Such a large number of men . cannot leavo any indispensable department suoh as the P. and T. service without causing some anxiety and trouble, but so far the gaps have been, filled up as well 86 possible, and 110 serious -hitches have ocourred in the machinery of the two great services so essential to the general community! ' It is; in the opinion of the Secretary (Mr. W. E. Morris), wise to look ahead a little, in order to ensute against anything in : the . nature of a "hold-up" oil account of a shortage of telegraphists, v Mr. Morris does not .intend to apply for exemptions from the, operations of the Military Service Act as far as ho can possibly avoid it, and as the demand for telegraphists for the Forces is always a brisk'one, he has decided to train a number of girls in the Morse code. _ In reply to, an advertisement for applications from young women»between 18 and 21 years, over sixty put in an appearance last week; and after a careful examination (medical and otherwise), thirty girls were selected to go to the department's telegraphic training school, which occupies two large rooms on the top floor of Nathan's Building in Grey . Street. These young women are . being put through their dots and dashea under the direction of Mt. Leslie Hill and Miss Newman (an English • operator). The girls who had been selected commenced their studies yesterday morning, and were hard at it with pencil and paper figuring out the Morse .alphabet with the aid of cards when visited at noon yesterday. Tables • had been arranged ' close to the walls and windows ronnd each. room, and there were senders and receivers for each pair of girls, on which "they will rehearse when they grasp the essentials of the "dot-dash" business. More girls are needefl still, as it is the intention of the department to train fifty girls in each of the lour chief centres at once, to provide for emergencies. In addition to these the. department is training fifty .boys each in Wellington, Auckland, and Oamaru.