14
THE APPEAL TRIBUNAL
place, if they do leave it. Finally I would I would do anything-break stones on the ask you, as far as I am personally con- road, if I could release by so doing a cerned, to get the authority of your people stone-breaker to go and fight. These are at Home to draw upon this excellent list people who unfortunately cannot go to of substitutes. It contains the name of a ght. They are either unfit or are of the somewhat prominent Civil Servant. I do female sex. not suppose you have been influenced by the slander published against him to under-value him. I am quite sure he could re-place anyone of these three men.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-Mr. Rose Thomson objects to substitution. Perhaps he could tell us what those objections are.
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Mr. Ross ToзON--They are numer I understand that the men on this list are all over-age men or unfit. It would be very dificult for an over-age inan to go into a subordinate position in auch an office as ours. For instance, let
suppose Mr. Johnstone was unfit and was romaining in the office. An over-Age man would have to come in and work under him. That does not conduce to amooth working. Some of these men, you tell me, are highly trained business men And what I say does not apply to them. There are others without commercial experience. We have had a good deal of experience of trying to use that class of man. For instance, at the bearing of the case by the Tribunal reference was made to Mr. Harbert who left us recently. I wish you to clearly understand that I bave nothing to say against that young ம். He was a very nice fellow. Ha had been to Charterhouse and to Oxford or Cambridge from where he had taken his degree. He had been schoolmaster for some years, bad an excellent know. ledge of Latin and Greek and spoke French almost like a Frenchman. We tried him from department to depart ment, but owing to his lack of early busi. ness training he could not fit in with our requirements and in the end he realised it himself,
H.E. THE GOVERNOR On the list are men and women. We would particularly bring to your notice one who is a highly qualified and certificated school-mistress. She does not want to teach, Her ambi- tion lies in a different direction, and at this juncture, Mr. Ross Thomson, these men and women want to take the places of men who can be released to go and fight for their country. If I had time
Mr. Ross THOMSON-We have already shown our willingness to employ women wherever we can. We employ 11. I do not think any business in the Far East can show anything like it.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR-I think you are very wise.
Mr. Ross THOMSON-We have done it. H.E. THE GOVERNOR-80 have 1. I have sent 11 schoolmasters to fight and I was told that to replace these men by women would lead to all sorts of want of control and want of discipline. That is all nonsense. They have done excep. tionally well. A woman can do anything a man can do.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (to Mr. Ross Thomson) How does the work of the China Navigation office now compare with the pre-war work?
Mr. Ross THсиSON-Roughly, as the staff is now from five to four.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-And in the Ocean Steamship department!
Mr. ROSS THOMBON-That is badly under-manned. I should say the work has not been reduced. We are doing so much Government work.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL With regard to the hours worked, of course it may be that the hours worked formerly do not allow of any increase. I should like to know what is the case.
Mr. Ross THOMSON The great bulk of the work in a shipping office has to be done in business hours, but the men in the office do work overtime when the business requires it. Almost any even- ing if you were passing through late you would find one or two men there. I pass ed out something after six last night And men were working there. But over time work is bad work and if you make
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