be made available
if required. As from time to time actual openings for
employment present themselves, notice will be given through
the Labor Exchanges, with full details as to the nature of
work, conditions, and pay, and, so far as special training
is necessary, arrangements will, if possible, be made for the
purpose.

Any woman who by working helps to release a man or to equip a
man for fighting does national war service. Every woman should
register who is able and willing to take employment.

The forms were sent out in large numbers through the women's societies
of the country, and it was stated on them that women were wanted
at once for farm-work, dairy work, brush-making, leather stitching,
clothing, machinery and machining for armaments.

By next day the registrations were 4,000, mostly middle-class women,
and in the first week 20,000 registered and an average of 5,000 a week
after, but the mass of women who registered waited with no real lead
or use of them for a long time. The Government seemed to suffer from
a delusion a great many people have, that if you have enough machinery
and masses of names something is being done, but you do not solve any
problem by registers. You solve it by getting the workers and the work
together.

The Government had not approached employers at first, but had left
it to them entirely to take the initiative in this great replacement.
This they had to a considerable extent done, using the Labour
Exchanges and the other agencies and women were more and more quickly,
steadily, ceaselessly replacing men.

The appeals for women for munition work were most swiftly responded to
and educated women volunteered in thousands, as did working girls and
women.

The question of assisting employment by fitting more women for
commercial and industrial occupations was considered by the
Government, and in October, 1915, the Clerical and Commercial
Occupations Committee was appointed by the Home Office--a similar
committee being set up for Scotland. It arranged with the London
County Council and with local authorities that their Education
Committees should initiate emergency courses all over the country for
training in general clerical work, bookkeeping and office routine. The
courses lasted from three to ten weeks, and the age of the students
varied from eighteen to thirty-five.

Many free courses were inaugurated by business firms in large London
stores,