WOMEN IN MEN'S POSITIONS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2935, 22 November 1916, Page 3

WOMEN IN MEN'S POSITIONS

HOW THE BRITISH GIRL HAS BUCKLED TO. The pressure in Great Britain lias 'been so much greater than, here that :it is difficult to realise the extent to 'Which women have replaced men—not 'only in offices, but in billets where [manual labour of a pretty.strenuous or'der is required. Letters from . Ausrtralian and New Zealand girls in England—girls who are doing their share ■of "relief work" —tell in terms of sincere admiration of the manner in which jwomen are working in the fields, plying ;ior hire in taxis,.punching tickets on '."the trams and trains, and doing all 'Mrids of laboui>in field and factory. One enterprising girl who . "made good" as the driver of a taxicab for liire, was so besieged with inquiries as to how sho managed it, that she wrote ."tlio following account of her initial experiences for the "Lady":— "I have been asked so often how I .toegan.' Many women, it seems, want ■to hold tbo wheel, and so I am going ;to answer once for all.- \ ' ' "In the advertisement columns of a morning paper I found the address of a students' home in South Kensington where I could ■ 'board and lodge' for twenty-five shillings a week, and I accordingly came to London to "taker a . course in motoring. Once in town, I went round the nearest garages, and among them discovered a training school. The fee was six guineas. Alv ready I had driven a car on open roads abroad, and this helped: me greatly. 'Also I have always been interested in machinery, the handling of which, like the writing of poetry, seems to come ; Dy nature. So, with something to go on from tbe first, and very hard work, I finished the course in less than two months. By that time I knew the use of all 'parts, 1 could piece together a Belsize engine, and bad learnt tho chief differences between several wellknown cars by reading up—and asking endless questions. AIT this is not difficult, if principles are kept in mind. ■With other pupils,' I was taken out on various cars, and drove anything from a taxi to a soap-box on a chassis.used for speed-tests on the Uxbridge road. "My training over, I decided to qualify for a certificate, although, after all, it did not bring me my billet. Still, a certificate.is-a-.certificate. I studied three weeks fojrjt, and paid a pound to enter for the The test consisted of a 'paper.,oh.'- mechanism, some questions about lighting and passing a horse on the Wrong side, and a short run on the ancient sort:of car that candidates are allowed to handle or mishandle according to their- lights. As for the certificate, it had due weight at the registry office, where I paid a fee of 2s. 6d., and was offered a post at once—to drive a car in need of eCti overhaul. _ Satisfactory repairs, it appeared, might lead to a permanent engagement. I could' not help admiring the owner. He was surely out for all-

round efficiency. However, I was saved from so severe an ordeal by another opening. Through a friend I cot a good berth and began at thirty shillings a week. The lady who engaged me kindly directed the man I was replacing to show me the several points of her car, and that afternoon I made my debut as a chauffouse. It was a proud moment when I first sped along the highway, but my elation was tempered by the thought that I would have ta garage the car—a difficulty that proved very real. The gate, leading off a narrow street,' allowed no more than a handbreadth in clearing, while the parage door was on one side and at the foot of a very steep courtyard. And the long 35 h.p. car had to be backed. There wis a cheering crowd round the entrance by the time the feat had been accomplished. However, after, one or two trials I had the trick of it. "Given no uniform, I bought a neat blue serge coat and skirt and a simple straw hat that fitted closely and coveted my hair well. 1 also had a lightweight mackintosh, and rainproof hat. Further comforts were two pairs of stout shoes for wear on alternate days, and garage slippers, which I -used when polishing brasses and leathering down the paint. "I made other discoveries.' Our first day in the suburbs brought home to me the fact that the early-closing day may mean no lunch for the chauffeuse. So I tried the much-abused bun, and found it good as an emergency ration. Of course, I do not recommend it to others. The bun, like beauty, is a mattor of taste. "Small adventures gave zest to the hard work of the day, but the humour of them might not appeal to everybody. There was, for instance, the policeman who cbided me mournfully for stopping too far from the kerb to put up the hood. He set forth the law at great length, and, as I was too busy to reply, hinted darkly at a summons. And it'rained in bucketfuls all through his eloquence. The point, for me, was tliat I had a mackintosh. I hope he did not get very wet. Anyhow, he was the only constable I ever met who talked instead or' helping. "Before I began, my friends used to say I would never find my way about London, as my knowledge of it was limited to the, West. However, the study of a shilling guide while waiting in the car soon made the routes clear to me. I learnt, too, like other motorists, .that London is not such a big place, after all."