Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-27
WOMAN AND HOME.
GIRLS WHO EARN THEIR LIVING MAX
ING BICYCLE TIRES.

Almost all tho work on the pneumatic
tires for bicycles is done by girls In many
of the shops. indeed, there are women to
superintond the work. Only where main
strength is required, ms in putting the tire
on tho wooden rim, is man called into
service There is nothing particularly OBJ
jectionnble about the work. The odor of
the rubber is not pleasant but the girls
get used to 1t after awhile.
They arc Obliged to stick their bare
hands in sticky, Ill smelling mixture,
which is smcared on the outer covering of
the tire to make 1t more or less impcrvious
to tacks and such things. AT first their
hands arc apt TO crack, but they harden
after awhile As rule the work Is done
In biz. roomy factories, and the girls who
do the work say they have absolutely
nothing to complain of, so why should any
mere outsider long to inoculato them with
the virus OF discomfort
They arc mostly very young, these bicy-
clio girls ranging from II TO 20 years old.
Most OF them have found their first wage
earning employment in the bicycle shop.
A few older ones IRE required TO fastcn tho
ends Of the rubber tubes together and to
put the valves in place These operations
require good Judgment and dizziness Of fin
gers.
Lizzie Shannon is ono Of these Older
ones Sho confesscs TO having passed l"r
twenty. third birthday, and adds that she
is getting near the old maid line Lizzie
lives with her three brothers and her
mother on the top floor Of an old fashioned
tenement hOuso.
Yes, know" sho says, folks think
factory girls don't like housowork, but it
isn't true All the girls know like TO fix
up their homes Most of them that don :
go home TO their dinner spend their
lunchtime making fancy work for their
homes Most of us would rather do house
work-that is, in our own homes, Of
course. | wouldn't work in anybody =
kitchen for no money. / don't know why
but wouldn't.
Our families need orr earnings. We
know when we are real small that we
must go TO work some day and help sup
port ourselves and the rest OF the children
OF course the girls don't expect to stay at
it always No girl wants to be an old
maid ii she can help it. Once in awhile a
girl stays on to work after she gets mar
ried, but she only expects to stay for II lit.
Tie while until they have money enough to
furnish their rooms nicely. | think it's
very foolish for u girl TO marry man who
can't support her don't think married
women should be allowed to work in shops
there are SO many girls who need tho
work and haven't anybody to take care Of
them
There aren't any married women in
our shop except the forclady, and she's n
grass widow She gets the highest pay in
In l sv.4ff l., btfrh
est. 81. 90, The other girls get from "a 30
to So. Some of the beginners get only 49,
but they'll get more after awhile All Of
the girls in our place live at home with
their folks except four or five. They board
with friends They re treated just like
one Of the family, you know, and they pay
So week.
II like tho work better than anything
else | ever worked at | worked in store
long time, until l got sick from stand
ing so much In the tire factory you don't
have to suit anybody but just the fore
lady, and she S nice to us. In the store
some OF the iloorwalkers are hurrid, and
then there's the head of the stock and
the ladies. They RE- hard 10 suit mostly
And then you have to be more particular
about your dress You can't wear out
your shabbcst things at work as you can
here. And the girls are better to each 9th.
err in the factory We're like one big fam
lily. "-Boston Globe.