The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-11-24
equal FRANCHISE
I'm ENCLAND May.
BE WAR RESULT
Generally Recognized That
It Will Be Hard for Par
lament to Refuse.

London, Nov. 24.-The saying that
woman's place is in the home has lit
tie application in war time. There
are now In the British Isles 3,219,-
900 women employed outside their
own homes. It is generally. recog-
nized that their rally to work Gin
the netional interest" is going to
make it difficult for Parliament to re-
fuse the demand for suffrage which
will be renewed when hostilities> end.
During the first two years OF war
the increase, of women workers, ex-
elusive Of purely feminine occupa-
tons, was $4,000. OF these 1885,
900 directly replaced male labor. In
other words more than three-quar-
tiers OF a million women left their
homes to release that number of men
for military service. In most in
stances the women went into the
munition plants, where a consider
able number of them have given up
their lives in doing their bit"
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, van drivers and messengers. But
as the war progressed the field broad
ened and now even in building, min
ing and quarrying scores of women
are employed. The metal trades also
have claimed their share Of the new
Industrial army. It must be under
stood that this is not an army in
skirts. AS q 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
factories and shops, the breweries
and the railway yards, jumpers and
regulation overalls are the approved
custome. The bus and tram conduc-
tors or "conductresses," are jaunty
in their neat blue tunics and skirts
reach just below the knees--low
enough to overlap close-f1tting black
leather puttees There is seldom a
glimpse of stocking The bus COM
panies issued, an order recently that
no silk hosiery should be worn.
It is stated that probably 100000
Of the women "war workers" have
been recruited from those formerly
engaged in purely feminine occupa-
tions-domestics. 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 domestics.
The number of women employed
in railway work has increased more
than 200 per cent. Ordinarily the
only railway posts open to women
were clerkships and carriage-clean-
ing tasks Now there are women
ticket collectors, porters, engine
cleaners and workshop laborers. In
Glasgow and some other cities wo-
men are being tried out as tram driv-
ers or motOrwomen.
Interesting statistics regarding wo-
mans part in war work have been
collected by the employment bureau
Of the Board of Trade. The number
of women recruited to Industrial oc-
equations between July, 1914, and
July, 1916, was $4,000. OF this num-
Der, 100000 directly replaced men.
In commercial occupations the in
crease in the number of women
workers was 1913 900. while the num-
Der Of women replacing men in this
class was 201,000 This apparent
discrepancy is accounted for by the
transfer OF women from the feminine
side of the male side of the establish
ments. The increase in women
clerks amounts to only $4,000. all of
whom. however. have replaced men.