EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 119, 13 February 1919, Page 6

EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN

.BEPATBIATION OFFICER'S VIEWS,

During the hearing of the Auckland City retail soft goods dispute at the Arbitration Court on Tuesday, Mr. Franks' ? ul ; l 3 -district repatriation, officer at Auckland, spoke with regard (o the employment of returned soldiers in the drapery trade.. He said that ho wished to make it clear that his statement was purely an ex partu one. He had been promised by the drapery employers of ■ Auckland that every returned soldier who had been in the trade would be reinstated on his return, audi this promise had been carried out. Ik had not come to the Court with the intention of supporting either party in the dispute, but wished to make a statement generally as to the. position of returned men. It was true that m the event of the inc.usiqir in the drapers' award of a clause permitting the employment of women at a much lower rate of wages, the position would be very much aggravated. In reply to Mr. ■ Wright, Mr. Burhush said that as a layman -he could not speak ot the harm that might bo done to returned soldiers by employment in shops. It was tr„ e that a number oi returned, soldiers had been given'work and had thrown it up a. few days later this was due to their nervous condition, and was no fault of theirs. A person who had not been "through the mill" could not properly judge returned men. He-had seen soldiers walking about Uueen Street who, six months ago, had been in hospital in England. Mr Wright'stated that, as a matter or act, the, employers were putting up with ,i good deal from returned soldiers, but they had no wish -to make capita out,of this fact. t Continuing Mr. Burbush said 'that as lar as the drapery business was concerned, when a returned soldier who had .previously been a draper came to the office, lie was given a note to one of the heads in a drapery firm.,- None of the o men apparently had failed to «t posi"gam. If a returned man found that by. taking up his old work -he wmid displace a woman,, he sometimes simply would not ask for the position m