The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-12-01
women OF ENGLAND
WORKING IN FACTORY
More Than Three Million Are
Now Employed Therein
DOING The WORK WELL
Many Were Recruited From the
MiIIiner Stores and Dress
Making Shops

"ONiiS ShVPS
London, November 5.-[Corres-
pondence of The Associated Press.]
The saying that woman's place is
in the home has little application in
war time. There are now In the
British Isles 3,219O00 women en-
ployed outside their own homes. 1t
is generally recognized that their
rally to work Sin the national in
terest' is going to make it difficult
for parliament to refuse the demand
for suffrage which will be renewed
when hostilities end. During the
first two years of war the increase
of women workers., exclusive OF
purely feminine occupations, was
$4,000 Of these 10000 directly
replaced male. labor. In other words
more than three quarters of mil
lion women left their homes to re-
lease that number of men for mill
tary service. In most instances the
women went into the munition
plants, where a considerable num-
Der of them have given up their
lives in doing their bit"
No Limit to Glass of Work.
There seems to be no limit to the
class of work women can do. At
first it seemed strange to see girl
conductors on the buses, girl win
dow cleaners, van drivers and mes
sengers. But as the war progressed
the field broadened and now even
in building, mining and quarrying
scores of women are employed. The
metal trades also have claimed their
share of the new industrial army. It
must be understood that this is 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 pub
| lie. In most of the factories and
shops, the breweries and the rail-
way yards, jumpers and regulation
overhalls are the approved costume.
| The bus and tram conductors, or
| "conductresses," are jaunty in their
| neat blue tunics and skirts reach
| just below the knees-low enough
to overlap close fitting black leath-
err puttees. There is seldom a
glimpse of stocking. The bus COM
panies issued an order recently that
no silk hosiery should be worn.
Where They Were Recruited.
1t is stated that probably 100000
of the women "war workers" have
| been recruited from those formerly
engaged in purely feminine occupa-
| massachusetts, dressmakers, mil
| liners, 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 majority of the Eng
| lish domestics. The number of
women employed in railway work
has increased more than 200 per
| cent. Ordinarily the railway posts
| oper to women were clerkships and
carriage cleaning tasks. Now there
are women ticket collectors, porters,
engine cleaners and workshop labor
ers. In Glasgow and some other
| cities women are being tried out as
| tram drivers or motOrwomen.
| Some Interesting Statistics.
Interesting statistics regarding
women's part in war work have been
collected by the employment bureau
of the board of trade. The number
Of women recruited to industrial
occupations between July, 1914, and
July, 1916, was 100000 OF this
number, $4,000 directly replaced
men. In commercial occupations the
| increase in the number of women
workers was $4,000, while the num-
| Der of women replacing men in this
class was 10000. This apparent
| discrepancy is accounted for by the
transfer of women from the feminine
Ltd
/ lishments. The increase in women
clerks amounts to only $4,000 all of
whom, however, have replaced men.
| The increase of women workers in
J hotels and places of entertainment
is only $4,000, yet the number of
men replaced in these establish
| ments is $1,000, many of the old
female employees now doing the work
| of men.
One Point Not Settled.
There has been much more discus
, sion lately as to whether the city wonl-
| an is success on the farm and the
point is far from being settled. New
ertheless $4,000 more women are
working steadily at agriculture to-
day than in July, 1914. In 1914
there were only 1000 women en-
ployed in government arsenals and
dockyards. Now there are over
10000. The English breweries for
merly employed 5000 women. Now
they have $4,000. And so it goes
through all the industries AS
whole the industrial postwar prob
lens are going to offer much food
for reflection, and, to be amicably
solved, will require an intelligent
skill of direction and square deal
ing" equal to the best thought and
energy put forward in the war itself.