WOMEN FOR WORK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 20 October 1942, Page 5

WOMEN FOR WORK

NATIONAL DRIVE IN BRITAIN London, Sept. 25. Some features of the Government's i drive for more women for national work j and the women's auxiliary services have aroused criticism in some quarters. The Home Secretary (Mr Morrison), however, condemns as “foolish, noisy talk” the criticism of compulsory . fire watching for women in their places of business or their home areas. Yesterday he said the criticism came mostly from men. “The most foolish talk,” added Mr Morrison, “is that which suggests that there is extreme substantial moral danger to women in being asked to stay at their places of work once a week or to do fire watching with their men and women colleagues. I do not know what kind of label some critics are trying to hang round the necks of men and women in their own areas.” The proposal that childless wives I should be conscripted into the women's ' services aroused such opposition, especi--1 ally amongst the troops, who resented . their wives being forced into uniform, that the proposal has been temporarily shelved, in favour of a big publicity . drive to persuade such wives to volunteer. Part of the drive consists of a , series of talks to the troops to convince . soldiers of the urgent necessity of their wives joining up. An official of the Ministry of Labour. [ interviewed by the “Daily Express." said: —“We want to avoid the conscription of service men’s wives, but we must have recruits. We hope these young women will volunteer when they J realise how urgently they are needed, and that the threat of domestic reprisals from their husbands has been removed.”