Viscountess ASTORasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why women are not employed in the examination of passengers' luggage for customs; and whether, in view of the number of articles of women's clothing now dutiable, he will consider opening this branch of the waterguard service to women?
§ Major ELLIOTThe examination of passengers' baggage forms only part of the duties of the waterguard staff; the other duties of the staff, which include boarding ships, searching crews' quarters, turning out bunker coal, etc., are such as it would not be reasonable to expect women to perform. It would be impracticable and uneconomical to employ women on baggage examination duties only, since the volume of incoming passenger traffic is too small to provide women with full-time employment or with any avenue for promotion or inducement to efficiency.