MARRIAGE WASTAGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 65, 9 December 1937, Page 13

MARRIAGE WASTAGE

British Phone Girls - - - LONDON. Oct. 21. Cupld k ereatinj such havoc in the ranks of the 'phone girls that all th'e Postmaster-GeneraTs forecasts of staif requirements have been upset. In spite of the fact that recruitment is at its maximum, there is such a serious shortage of operators in London that the l'ost Office has had to have recourse to the employnient of temporary day staft. Married ex-telephouists have been pressed into service to meet the emergency caused by the unexpectediy heavy marriage "wastage," as it is officialiy called.. Already the marriage rate among the "phone girls v,*as the highest of all the female classes ' in the Civil Service, but during the Past fewpionths of this- year jt s has beaten all reqqrds. Thp ligt qt marriage "casualties" is mounting np with VDice-training in. the new schools, and it is officialiy admitted that many of the girls marry on the strength of their golden voices. Thousands of other girls in the Civil ServiCQ ara getting jealous of the 'phone girl and her favoured* position at the switchboard. A recent return shcwed that out of 943 tglephqne gjrls who left the Service, 830 did so to get married. Most of them are marrying to-day ' at 24. Ten years ago the average age was 27. Some cynics say that thq marriage gratuity hqs much to do with the marriage "wastage." After six years' service— they are taken eu pow at 16 — a telephone operator retiring on marri^se may get £150 as a "dowry" from tfee State, and a supervisor as much as £350. Last year the "dowry" estimates for the telephone service amounted ii eya?