The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1916-11-28
ENGLAND FINDS
WOMEN CAN WORK
Over Three Million Employed Outside
Their Own Homes in British
Isles Now.

ItioS WoIiioH . piuIC 10 III ClS iluiHS
has little application in war time
There are now in the British Isles
3,219,O0O women employed outside
their homes. 1t is generally recog-
nized that their rally to work "in thG
national interest" is going to make il
difficult for Pertinent to rcfUse the
demand for suffrage which will be re,
newed when hostilities end.
During the first two years of wal
the increase of women workers, ex-
elusive of purely feminine occupa-
tions, was $4,000. Of these 10000
directly replaced male labor. In 9th
er words more than three-quarters
of a million women left their homes
to release that number of men for
military service. In most instances
the women went into the munition
plants, where a considerable number
of them have given up their lives
III QOlnG Cnelr DIT.
There seems to be no limit to the
class Of work women can do. At first
it seemed strange to see girl conduc-
tors on the buses, girl window-clean-
ers, var drivers and messengers. But
as the war progressed the field broad
ened and now even in building, min
ing and q%uarrying scores of women
are employed. The metal trades also
have claimed their share of the new
industrial army. 1t must be under
stood that this is not an army
in skirts. As a matter Of fact
skirts are worn for the most
part only in those occupations
which bring women in touch with
the public. In most of the fac
tories and shops, the breweries and
the railway yards, jumpers and reg
ulation overalls are the approved CO.'S
tune. The bus and train conductors
or "conductoresses", r jaunty in
their neat blue tunics and skirts each
just below the knees-low enough to
overlap close fitting black leather put
tees. There is seldom a glimpse of
stocking. The bus companies issued
order recently that no silk hosiery
should be worn.
1t is stated that probably 100000 of
the women " war workers" have been
recruited from those formerly engaged
in purely feminine occupations-do-
mestics, dressmakers, milliners, etc.
The servant problem is becoming
more and more acute for the demand
for munition workers is increasing
day by day, and the wages offered
are far beyond the dreams of avarice
to a majority Of the English domes-
tics.
The number of women employed in
railway work has increased more than
200 per cent. Ordinarily the only
posts open to women were
clerkships and carriage cleaning
tasks. Now there are women ticket
collectors, porters, engine cleaners
and workshop laborers. In Glasgow
and some other cities women are be-
ing tried out as train drivers or mo-
Interesting statistics regarding wo-
mans part in the war work have been
collected by the employment bureau
If the Board of Trade. The number
If women recruited to industrial &C.
,upations between July, 1914 and July,
1916, was 100000. Of this number,
$4,000 directly replaced men. In
occupations the increase
n the number of women workers was
$4,000, while the number of women
eplacing men in this class was 2O1,-
700. This apparent discrepancy is
accounted for by the transfer of wo-
men from the feminine to the male
iide of the establishments. The in
trease in women clerks amounts to
'nly $4,000, all Of whom, however,
replaced men.
The increase Of women workers in
lotels and places of entertainment is
My 10000, yet the number of men
eplaced in these establishments is
i 1000, many of the old female en-
now doing the work of men.
There has been much more dis
u~ssions lately as to whether the city
'oman is a success on the farm and
he point is far from being settled.
$4,000 more women are
'orking steadily at agriculture today
aan in July, 1914. In 1914 there were
My 1000 women employed in gov
rnment ~arsenals and dockyards.
low there are over 10000. The En-
fish breweries employed 5000 women.
low they have $4,000. An so it goes
all the industries.
AS a whole the industrial postwar
roblerns are going to offer much food
or reflection and square dealing"
quail to the best thought and energy
lit forward in the war itself