Women's War Service Auxiliary Memorandum No. 47
- Description
Memo regarding the registration of women for direction into essential work. Dated 16 March 1942.
Identification
- Object type
- Correspondence
- Archive
- C. E. Warburton Papers
- Date
- March 16, 1942
- Digitisation ID
- 2009Pa_WARBURTON-S1-F3_2792a
- Format
- Paper
Taxonomy
- Community Tags
WOMENS WAR SERVICE AUXILLARY,
Dominion Headquarters,
190 Lambton Quay,
WELLINGTON.
16th March, 1942.
URGENT.
Confidential Not For
Publication.
Circular Memorandum No. 47.
ALL DISTRICT COMMITTEES AND SUB-CENTRE COMMITTEES.
REGISTRATION OF WOMEN FOR DIRECTION INTO
ESSENTIAL WORK.
-
I am directed by the Central Executive to notify you of
a request that has been received from the Director of National
Service for the co-operation of the W.W.S.A. for the purpose of
interviewing women who are required to register for work of
National importance under Regulation 90 of the National Service
Emergency Regulations 1940, which states inter alia that the
Minister (of National Service) may direct any persons of any
specified class or specified classes whether normally engaged in
any occupation or not to register with the nearest Man-power
Officer or any other specified Officer. -
The registration of women of ages 20 or 21 will be pro-
ceeded with in the near future. At the same time voluntary
registrations from women outside these ages will be acceptable. -
A registration form ([K?].S. 141) has been prepared and will
be available at all Post Offices throughout the Dominion. The
forms will be posted by registrants to the District Man-power
Officer nearest to their place of residence. -
The Womens War Service Auxiliary is undertaking the inter-
viewing of women in the various centres for the District Man-power
Officers. -
District Committees and District Sub-centre Committees are
therefore requested to appoint a suitable woman in each Centre to
act as an Interviewing Officer. This woman should be selected
for her tact, personality and general ability for this work and
need not necessarily be a member of the Committee or Auxiliary,
but may be any person resident in the district who has the par-
ticular qualifications for this position. -
The work will be honorary and any reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses will be met in connection with this work. -
Committees should call meetings together urgently to con-
sider the appointment of those officers and the name and address
of each officer appointed should be forwarded to this office
immediately. -
At an early date a Conference of Interviewing Officers
of the W.W.S.A. District Committee only will be convened at
the Centre in which the District Man-power Officer is located.
This will enable a uniform policy to be followed and will
facilitate future action. -
When this Conference has taken place each District Committee
Interviewing Officer should arrange in her own Centre for a
Conference of Sub-centre Interviewing Officers so that the policy
decided upon will be uniform, not only in respect of District
Committee Interviewing Officers by also of Sub-centre Interview-
ing Officers.
- 2 -
- District Man-power Officers will contact Secretaries of
District Committees only in respect of any interview required.
It will be the duty of District Committees Secretaries to
arrange, where desired, interviews through the appropriate Sub-
centre Interviewing Officers.
-
Interviews should take place as far as possible in the
premises of the local District Committees. Where no separate
premises are available steps should be taken to obtain, for the
purpose of this work, the use of some separate accommodation
such as a room in a local hall, public library etc. It is
definitely undesirable that any interviewing should be done in
the private residence of the Secretary or other member of the
Auxiliary. -
Registration forms will be forwarded to the local Secret-
aries by District Man-power Officers in respect of each interview
required. The information contained in these forms is strictly
confidential and any work associated with interviewing does not
concern District Committees or Sub-centre District Committees.
The Committees are concerned only in the appointment of suitable
Interviewing Officers; other work in connection with interviewing
will be arranged by the Man-power Officers through the Secretaries
and will be passed on to Interviewing Officers for necessary
action. The results of any interviews will be obtained through
the Interviewing Officers and will be passed on by the Secretaries
direct to the District Man-power Officers without reference to
Committees. -
If Interviewing Officers are found to be unsatisfactory,
the Man-power Officers will communicate with the Director of
National Service. Steps will be taken through this office to
obtain the appointment of suitable replacements by District
Committees. -
In the initial stages it is proposed that, as far as practic-
able, interviews will take place in conjunction with a represent-
ative of the National Service Department or other authorised officer. -
There will, no doubt, be a considerable amount of postage
concerned in this work. Cost of any such postage should be charged
against the Committees Imprest Account. Any out-of-pocket ex-
pense may also be paid through this Account. -
For the guidance of District Committee Secretaries and
Interviewing Officers extracts from a circular forwarded to the
District Man-power Officers by the Director of National Service
are attached and should be fully studied. In this circular the
detailed machinery in connection with the interviewing of women is
set out and should be strictly adhered to. -
A list of District Man-power Officers with their respective
addresses is attached for the information of Committees. -
When women are being interviewed it will be in order for
Interviewing Officers to ask women if they are undertaking any
voluntary war or emergency work. If they are not doing so
reference may be made to the activities of the Auxiliary and if
they desire to join the Auxiliary or other branch of the Emergency
Reserve Corps they should be signed up at the first opportunity.
At the same time they may be informed that applications are being
received from women for Home Service in the Armed Forces and if
they desire to submit applications for service these should be
accepted. It is to be clearly understood, however, that
registration under the Regulations does make it compulsory
for any woman to join the Auxiliary or enlist for service in the
Armed Forces.
M. Malempre,
Dominion Secretary.