New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-26
FEAR WOMEN INVASION
Wireless Operators Protest Bill
Now Before Taft.
UNION MEN MEET HERE
Marconi Official Says His Com
pany Discourages Hiring
Female Telegraphers.

The officers Of Wireless Division No. 81
Of the Commercial Photographers Union
OF America, whose headquarters are in
this city called hasty meeting yester-
day morning and sent letter TO Presi-
dent Taft protesting against the wireless
bill now before him for approval.
According TO the representatives OF No
g the principal ground for protest is u
provision Of the bill which places the
operator, apparatus, transmission Of mes
sages and the regulation Of the watch
on the ships under full control Of the
captain, who, according TO the union lead
ers, Is liable TO fine Of 500 for failure
TO live up tn this provision
II Is admitted, however, that another
reason for the protest is that while the
bili has no provision for the embodiment
OF women az wireless operators. there is
nothing IN the bill to prevent women from
being so employed OF ships, and this the
union docs not want. II is said that the
sending Of the protest was FASTENED by the
news that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission sanctioned the granting Of a wire
less certificate 10 Miss Mabel Kelso, who
mas been assigned To the post OF wireless
operator on the steamship Mariposa, which
plies between Puget Sound and Alaska.
Nice-President Bottomley OF tho Mar
conf Wireless Telegraph Company OF
America was seen yesterday IN his office
and said that, while there was no reason
10 belitve that women were not as COM
petent telegraphers as men and as
resourceful, the company did not en-
courage the employment OF women as
wireless telegraphtrs on ships. There
might be cases where such an occupation
would be undesirable for women.
THE work might be an easy thing IN
some stations for woman" he con-
tniued, but on board ship. for instance
II anything gots wrong and the serial
has 10 be inspected the operator may
nave 10 climb 10 n TO set matters right,
which would be fmpracticable for a wom-
an, and there are other instances in
which a woman would be al disad-
vantage. As TO the question OF ttleEraph-
ing, pure and simple. there il no reason
why women should not be as competent
as mon anc az resourceful.
Regarding the contemplated worldwide
union Of wireless telegraphers. he said
that as Il seemed even 70 the officers OF
the union 10 be a long way of. there was
nothing he could say about H. In ref
erCnCc to the statements that CoTnpetcnt
wireless men on ships had received $50 a
month he said that this might be true Of
the men on English ships, but it certainly
was not true Of the men on American
ships, who got higher pay than the men on
British ships. nor was II true that wire
less operators received lower wages than
the operators working under the old sys-
TEN.
"hTe wireless operators on American
| ships" he continued, are paid from So5
10 81 "a month, with their board. and this
l believe, compares favOrably with the
wages Of the men on land. Some OF the
wireless men are paid more
The representatives Of the union ah-
mitted that the wireless men OF this
country got the wages stated by Mr.. Bot
tomley. :. j. Konenkamp, president OF
the Commercial Telegraphers' Union OF
America said that wages were not ade-
uuate while the men we're on shore when
the ships were III port
he declared that while the wireless
operators in the union undoubtedly con
ceded in the most unequlvocsl way the
principle Of sex equality, the post Of wire
less operator on board ship did not seem
an entirely proper one for women. Peo-
pic ne said. had only To recall the part
the wireless took in the loss Of the
Titanic 10 sustain this position.
Another basis for protest against the
bin" he continued, lis its failure 10 hx a
minimum age limit for wireless opera
tors"