The times., 1898-09-04
WOMEN CONDUCTORS.
Their Employment Is Extending in
This Country.
(From the New York SUM-


Lately a sort of epidemic for employ
ing women in the transportation service
of the country has broken out. It's not
a local epidemic, so it's going to be diff
cult to quarantine it, though many of
the trades unionists have been trying
their best to stampt 1t out They're not
likely 10 be more successful than usual,
however.
The epidemic Stems to have started last
Winter at Middletown. Conn, where a
woman got employment as motorman
on a street car. The notoriety the line
got as a result was discouraging. so the
pioneer was discharged, but the notion
that women would make 6rst-class con-
ductors if not grip manipulators in small
towns struck more than one street rail-
road manager.
Out in Vincennes. Ind, A month or so
ago the local street railway company
in a fit OF economy, decided TO discharge
its men conductors and employ women
Fifty women applied for the job and
five were put to work at S. a week
At Chillicothe. o., the experiment has
been running along successfully for sew
eral months, and the superintendent of
the Electric Railroad Light and Power
Company, w. F. Meyers has written an
optimistic letter TO the Electric Engi-
neer on the subject:
we could not afford 10 employ men
and we could not see why women would
not make as good conductors as men.
We keep them on duty ten hours a day
and pay them Sl4 per week and they are
proving themselves in every way COM
petent and efficient. We are very par
ucular in selecting them, and had no
trouble in getting good applications and
great many more than We are able TO
employ. II gives us a very clean service
and We think that this will be a new
field for the employment of ladies'"
Madison, Ind, has caught the epidemic
too, but somehow its citizens seem to
have been inoculated against it. The
families of the men who have been thrown
out of work by the new women conduc tors
have been making a big fuss about it,
and the citizens declare they will walk
before they will patronize cars conducted
10y women.
The steam railroads are falling into line.
1t is four or FIVE years now since a Wig
orous howl went up because the Brook
lyn elevated decided to employ women
ticket agents. A few months ago the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad put women
in charge of eighteen of its offices. Time
and again it has been runored that the
New York elevated and the New York
Central Railroad would substitute women
in its stations all along the line. Already
Ii
Central's offices than on any other road.
But after all, these are not the pioneers
in a new field. AS matter of fact, we
are away behind the rest of the world in
the employment of women In the railway
service England hires a few, while in
France women railroaders are common
The French woman ticket agent regards
herself as very we'll off, and her post as
one of the plums OF the industrial world
She has a separate entrance at the sta
tions and a little office all to herself. Such
a thing as working elbow to elbow with
a mere man clerk would not be thought
| of for a minute. Before she could get ar
appointment as ticket seller the French
| woman must pass AN examination in read.
| ing, writing and spelling. All the womer
| in the service of,the French railroads are
| the widows or daughters of employees
| The hours of labor are not so bad-fron
| in the morning )nntiit5 In the afternoon
and the pay ranges from $3.50 to $3.50, which
| is as much as the Vincennes conductors
receive After twenty years service the
| French railroad woman retires on a pen
| sion.
In Holland and G4rmany, too womer
are employed in theSstations of the gov.
ernment's railroad Ahd telegraph lines
| Woman is said to love brass buttons anc
| uniforms In the land of the Teuton she
| has chance to discover how it feels t
| wear them herself. In winter the railroad
woman wears a uniform of position blue
| cloth, trimmed with red braid and brass
| buttons and in Summer similar uniform
| of lighter material, with white braid dec
| oration is worn.