El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-06
100000 WOMEN
Do MEMS WORK
Labor Leaders Fear Mems
Work May Be Perma-
nently Lost to Them.

Berlin. Germany, April 6-Nearlv
600. 600 women are now at one kind Of
work or another in Berlin. They have
sv,srned into almost every field of ac-
tivitv no matter how difficult: thew
are earning more money than they ever
mad before: many have lost their own
bread winners and are for all time de-
Dendent upon their own efforts The
Droha lie unwillingness Of the women
10 90 hack to their homes after the
,var is being more and more antici-
mated nv the labor leaders who saw
tbe women must go in favor OF the
men when the time comes.
Bv far the largest proportion Of the
women now employed in Berlin are I'M
GOO. 600. OF the remaining 100000
skilled workers. perhaps 500, 900 of the
customarily so employed.
Nay Refuse to Quit.
lust how large Will be the number of
widows. or Of women left with Grip
7,1ed husbands, after the war, the labor
leaders do not attempt as yet to esti-
mate. These, on the one hand, consti-
tute however, but part Of the problem.
Fully as pulling is the question OF
what to do with those women who,
though they later will have other means
of support are expected deliberately to
ballx at retiring to nonproductive life
There Is hardly an occupation into
which women have not crowded during
the past year. The employment OF
women sa street car conductors is al
ready an old and familiar condition,
and women "mOtormen" haYe become
more or less familiar sights even in the
busy downtown streets OF Berlin.
The first woman taxicab chauffeur
was noted early last summer, and she
has multiplied somewhat since then.
M 81 anr7 n nv hFrf1dfnu fhn
new tube under the Friedrich Strasse
connecting the northern and southern
sections OF the city has for months en-
Moved faminine "huskies," young and
old. in shoveling out the sandy under
pinning Of the street.
Women Clean Streets.
Two years ago the streets Of the cap
ital were cleaned by men Of military
ace. Their places were taken by boys.
ana now women are being introduced
as fast as the youths grow up TO mill
tarv age and enter the army. II is a
common sight on any street to see coal
being carried into residences from
teams by women instead OF men,
The underground railway companies
Of Berlin months ago installed women
as ticket choppers and then introducede
them as guards When il was found
that their dresses frequently got caught
in doors, the companies did not go back
to male help, but ordered the women
to don boomers. and today there are
more Of them to he seen than men
Even Germans. accustomed to seeing
women performing heavy duties, gasped
a little when they heard that the steam
railroads. in addition to installing WON
en- at the stations for minor duties had
nut them in as track walkers. switch
tenders and track layers Yet the Prus-
sian railways today have large num-
Der Of women now in their employ.
Work TOO Strenuous
II is almost universally admitted that
the women do not adequately substi-
tute for the men. Women conductors,
FOR instance. are said to be about 90
percent as efficient as their male pre-
decessors, and only about half OF those
who go to work as conductors are aDle
10 stand the strain. There has been
notable increase in certain women's dis-
eases resulting directly from this work
Few Of the trades are harder or more
strenuous than metal work, which just
now. Of course. is booming because OF
the need OF ammunition. Yet there are
thousands Of women thus employed To-
dav. who do not seem to mind the
heavy work, and who are earning, reia-
lively. a great deal Of money.