El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-05
WOMEN WORK
IN MOST Of
TRADES
Successful as Steel Workers
as Well as in Less Strenu-
GUS Employment.
MUSIC AND DANCES
IN TOBACCO FACTORY
CBy Frederic J. Haskin.)


in the various callings known as trades,
most of which are OF comparatively re-
cent origin. In the early part of the
past century less than half a dozen in
dustrial occupations were open 10
women outside of their own homes and
only three to which they turned in any
notable numbers. These were the shoe
making trade, the printing trade and
the manufacture Of cotton and wooden
cloths in the great factories, which
existed in New England even at thaI
early period. The operators IN these
factories were often women of good
families who worked at the only IN
dustry available to them at that period,
often for the purpose OF securing the
money needed to complete their educa-
ton. Their hours were longer than IN
some of the modern factories and IN
most cases the wages less IN actual
money, but living conditions were dir
ferent and the cotton mill operators OF
a century ago would not profit by eX-
changing conditions. with the women
workers in that industry OF TO-DAY.
The four principal divisions of food
preparation IN which women are en-
plOyed include meat packing the can
ming industries, confectionery and the
cracker industries. The great packing
houses OF Chicago furnish occupation
for thousands of women IN the manu-
facture and parcell1ng OF different meat
products. Some Of these are most IN
pleasant in nature, involving contact
with DANGEROUS machinery and frequent
mutilatiOn of fingers. even though the
work Of killing and cutting up the AMI
mails is performed by men assisted oy
the latest mechanical devices
The canning of prepared meats, such
as pOtted ham and tongue, corned ana
dried beef, veal loaf and other meat
products is, in itself, a distinct indus
try not to be COMPOUNDED with the gen
eral canning industries which include
the preservation Of fruits and Fege-
tables and also of fish.
The canning industries vary accord
ing TO the seasons and the kind ana
quantity of food to be preserved. The
work is apt to be irregular To large
extent the work Of the canneries is
done by foreign women, American girls
being found only in the more import
ant positions of the better class can
nerieS. While there are many revelations
of disgusting conditions existing in
canneries, account must be taken Of the
ones which have ideal equipment. The
recent pure food movement is doing
much to elevate the standards Of all
Of them
Contrary to popular belief, few Occu-
pations fall to the lot Of women and
girls more disagreeable than some OF
the processes Of candy making. the
girl who spends long hours dipping
bOn-bons in hot chocolate and laying
them upon waUed paper at the rate OF
several thousand q day, IS apt TO IlnQ
even such dainties nauseating. The ma
terials may be of the best and the
cleanliness Of the factory all that
could be desired, but the handling OF
sticky sweet pals upon the average
worker more quickly than most Occu-
patiOns, although many women follow
it for years and long experience is re-
Quired for a worker TO qualify as
skilful chocolate dipper.
Candy making is an occupation that
calls for some exposure, also owing 70
the different temperatures in which
various kinds Of candy must be han
for raf n a q
candy in Philadelphia found himself
almost bOycOtted one winter because
OF the death of a girl from exposure
and cold while at work in his supposed
" first class establishment. In order
10 secure the desired consistency in his
cream fOndant, il was required to be
moulded by the girls IN refrigerator
like room where the temperature was
kept above freezing. The girls spent |
long hours in this cold room going to
il directly from the Overheated choco-
late dipping room. The death Of one
girl and the ruined health of several
compelled him to change his system
Half of Cracker Workers Women.
More than half the employees of the
great American cracker factories are
women and this, too, includes much I
unpleasant work. The average cracker {
factory is an interesting place TO visit /
and its cleanliness Is almost universal. /
che work of the women requires little !
sl.ecial talent, only a monotonous repe-
tftiOn of some process, which may be
machine, icing the fancy crackers or /
packing the finished crackers for dis I
tributiOn. All the mixing of the dough !
is done by men who know the formula |
Of the combinations upon which that
particular factory bases its hope OF 4
success.
Two or three men can mix the dough I
for several hundred workers and they 1
are the only skilled employees in the /
whole factory. The mixing is done in /
huge watts in which the dough is 1
manipulated by a large mixer with 1
great metal blades resembling q wind !
mill in appearance. The dough is rolled I
and put into the cracker-making ma /
chine which stretches almost across !
the big room. The first roller stamps I
the pattern upon it, the second roller ]
shakes flour upon II to prevent the I
raw dough from sticking and the third /
roller marks the lines to be broken (
for the separate crackers. A girl is in 1
charge OF each of these rollers The I
heat in a cracker factory sometimes |
is overpowering and the smell Of the /
dough makes the girls feel faint until i
they have become accustomed to It
Women Tobacco Workers.
At least 5000 women are engaged in /
the tobacco industries. Some of them 4
work in factories and others take work i
into tenement homes where they roll J
cigarets of high grade even when SUI /
fering from illnesses which would make /
it impossible for them to go out to /
work In Pittsburg the manufacture OF (
stogies is almost entirely confined to |
women.
In a tobacco factory the drying of to- /
bacco is generally done by men, many
os them too old and feeble to stand ]
active work but they have had years /
of experience which enables them to /
know the quality Of tobacco by the /
way it feels. Women are employed in /
the stripping which is the least skilled !
labor. They also do the packing and (
the shaping and trimming OF the !
cigars by machinery. The rate of I
speed required from the girl packers in .
a tobacco factory is ruinOus to their /
nervous systems
Work to Music.
In the tobacco stripping plants of /
Louisville negro girls and women are
successfully employed The use of ne
gro women labor in factories was many
times attempted and always failed until
rhe tobacco stripping factories intro
duced music The women work in a
huge room. 500 or 900 of them A piano
is mounted on a platform in the center
of the room. Players take turns of a
half hour playing, a quartet sings. and /