The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-10-09

munched and talked, without in
Productions. We didn't even ask
each others name.
IT wish l could get my hat
picked out" said the girl In over
alls.
"I've got mine. It's pretty, and
it's cheap. too triumphed the
spray girl.
Quit Mt 1870
81 can't get time to hunt" COM
planned Miss Overalls.
what time do we get out?" l
asked.
you'll get off at 4:30, because
you came on at g." the spray girl
told me.
1--WE used to work straight thru
on Saturdays without stopping for
lunch, so as to get off half an
hour earlier; but the foreman
says he'd rather we'd stop at
noon. And l guess it is better
for u.s."
"Are you tired?" the girl in
overalls asked.
"My, when I first began ]
thought I'd die, was SO lame!
But you get so you can do more
II couldn't take down the pieces
from the upper shelves at all when
II came, but now I can take all
but the very top ones. But the
rubber never sees me there but
he takes them down for me, even
the ones l could take down my
self all right"
"I'm not so tired" I fibbed,
"but | think I'll starve to death
at piece rates I'm so SLOW"
$2.81 in Half Day
ooh no you won't" she encour-
aged me. "The girl that was there
before you, made $2.S1 before two
O'Clock one day."
"Well, strength was always my
PRIDE" said the spray girl, slow
ly. "And this work amt very
heavy anyway. But wouldn't
want to do 1t too long. You can
see 1t on a woman If she's only
done 1t a year or two. 1t shows
in her whole body. She gets so
she even walks like a man.
II never thought I'd do this
kind OF work. I'd done waiting
and clerking, and / wanted to
earn more money for school, SO
could teach. And I hunted and
hunted, and all the women's work
could getd idn't pay enough. So
came here and began sanding,
just like you are. And now for
three months I've been on the
spray machine"
Like housekeeping
She spoke modestly, but we all
looked ath er with respect. Spray
ing is skilled labor, and is paid
and regarded accordingly.
/ was becoming conscious of a
feeling in my right arm that re-
minded me of the effects of doing
good old-fashioned houseclean-
ing.
From personal experience
/ can say that sandpapering
furniture is harder than Ordi-
nary office work, but easier
than doing a family washing;
harder than Eight house,
keeping" but easier than
housekeeping that isn't light;
Just about as hard as practic-
ing the piano eight hours
day, but easier than writing
stories for a living.
But just the same, when the
1890 whistle blew and we went
bac kto work, the work / went
back to was not the pile of table
legs on the bench with the in
itials cut in 1t.
1t was the old work that
wouldn't leave very long to go
thru the biggest door that war can
open.
Manager Slyter and the fore
man of the finishing department
both say the employment of
women at some kinds Of work is
proving a success, from their
point OF view.
1--WE pay them the same as we
pay the men," said Slyter. "It's
getting SO we simply can't get or
keep men and boys. so we had
to try women, and they are doing
some kinds OF work better than
the men did"
The foreman agreed.
"When / had all men,"
he said, '.it took me all my
time to watch them. When
i have showed girl how to
do q thing I don't have to
watch her. There are some
kinds of work wouldn't
put a woman on; they're too
heavy or too dirty; but the
spray machine has always
been a mans work before.
and the girl who IL ON IL
now Is doing better than any
man we ever had"