Women's Unusual Occupations

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 64, 8 December 1937, Page 14

Women's Unusual Occupations

Cutting Marble— Loading Ships

There are six fish'erwomen in Australia, ei'ght. women pearlers, and niiie women who cultivate oysters? ; How ' wdmen are invadihg - all- -kinds * of hccup&tiohs,. ortqe- thought too strenuous • for them " and ?the exclusive " domain . of man is shown in the latest . Coxnmonwealth census dealing . with occupations in industry. " -" Twenty-eight women are. engaged in cutting " marble, and. 21 - of - these • are under 30 years -:of age.- There : are six girls under . 14 employed inrthe ;glass industry, although, . according to , apprenticeship regulations, .no.. girl tmder ' 15 may enter the industryf in most : States. Four women -in" their early twenties are engaged in the job of making asphalt andtar. Australia has 4500 women wheat.farmers out of a total wheat-farming popula-' tion of 164,000. 87 in Plumbing. There are 2129 women -grqziers ; out of a grazing i>opulation of 75,000. Seventeen women grow peanuts for a living, and seven. make casks. According to statistics, 63 women are engaged in the painting trade. -Most of these, however, are painters of artistic advertising signs. . Eighty-seven wonlien are stated to he employed in the plumbing and gas-fit-ling trade. Fifteen women work at plaster-making but the census in some other instances does not make it clear whether these are girl clerks in the offices of plaster. and lime firms. t " In the production of .paints and. colours 224 women and ■ girls find a living. Forty'six are in the boiling-down and tallowmelting industry.; - What these women and girls. do in

: such - a | trade is not made quite dear. Ihe same : applies to the 93 girls and women who work in the : manuf acture of -..fertilisers .and phosphatqs,; and the €9 women in the ; tanning industry. Load Shipe, - Twenty.-one - women, are engaged In threshing 'and chaff-'cutting. Nine others . are making oil cakes, and- 47 are in the saddlery- trade. Seventeen girls and : women are helping - to make sheep dip, and " five are in the : shipbuilding industry. Seventy-six weave carpets, and 144 make hags. Another problem ' is what ; the ; 233 wo- • men and girls do in the brick and tile trade." Eleven others. are set' down as 'being in the" ship-loading business. Are these, wharf-lahourers? ; Let us' hope not. Thirteen make nails, and ' 125 are in the joinery' and sash and door-making "trade; * ' But " there are:— No women bricklayers. No . women carpentqra, • 1 No women ' plasterers. No women slaters. - - • . . The science of rat-catehing is also still sacred to men, fox terriers and cats. Personal Touches. • It's . smart to ' have a personal touch somewhere about your attire. One of" the most . successful ways of achieving this that I - have noticed recently was shown by the wearer of a gay red, white . and ' . green plaid crepe silk dress. Her " belt.and pochette were in white that wgs deco'rated with inch-high letters in red and green. The letters were ; set haphazard, or so it ! seemed. When s&rted out the letters snellecl her full.name.