The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-11-24
WOMEN
WINNING THEIR
RIGHT TO VOTE
Over Three Million of Them
Employed Outside
Their Homes.
NOT MANY WEAR SKIRTS
Considerable Number Have
Died "Doing Their
Best"
tBy Associated Press,


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 3,219,000 wo.
men employed outside their own
homes. 1t is generally recognized that
their rally to work "in the national in.
terest" is going to make 1t 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, ex.
! elusive of purely feminine occupations,
was $4,000. OF these 10000 direct.
ly replaced male labor. In other
words more than three-quarters OF u
million women left their homes to re-
lease that number Of men for military
service. In most instances the wo.
men went into the munition plants
where considerable 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 1t seemed strange to see girl con.
ductors on the buses, girl window.
cleaners, van drivers and messengers.
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 in.
dustrfal army. 1t must be understood
that this is not an army in skirts. As
matter of fact skirts are worn for
the most part only in those occupa.
tons which bring women In touch with
the public. In most of the factories
and shops. the breweries and the rail.
way yards. jumpers and regulation ov.
erals are the approved costume. The
bus and tram conductors, or "con.
ductresses." are iaunty in their neat
blue tunics and skirts reach Just be-.
! low the knees-low enough to overlap
close-fitting black leather puttees.
There is seldom glimpse OF stocking
The bus companies issued an order
recently that no silk hosiery should
be worn.
1t is stated that probably 100000
| or the women war workers" have
been recruited from those formerly
engaged in purely feminine occupa-
tions-domestics, dressmakers, millin.
: crs, etc. Tho servant problem Is be-
coming more and more acute, for the
demand Sor munition workers Is in.
creasing 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.cleaning tasks.
Now there are women collectors. por-
ters. engine cleaners and workshop
laborers. In Glasgow and some other
cities women are being tried out as
tram drivers or motorwomen.
Interesting statistics regarding wo-
mans part in war work have been
collected by the employment bureau
hof the Board OF Trade. The number
of women recruited TO industrial occu.
pations between July, 1914, and July,
1916, were 100000. OF this number,
100000 directly replaced men. In com.
mercial occupations the increase in
the number of women workers was
$4,000. while the number OF women