Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-29
THE WAR AND WOMEN WORKERS
BY FREDERIC ). HAsKIN

WASHINGTON. May 2s-How may
tho women and children OF America
take the places of mon In factories
without waste of energy and loss OF
health. without wearing out women
and killing babies?
The Children's Bureau OF the United
states Department Of Labor has set out
10 solve this problem by Il study Of
Europe's experience during the war
Tho substitution OF Inexperienced
women and children for skilled male
factory workers has caused inevitable
loss. but it was not this alone which
caused Great Britain and France to
establish commissions for the investi:
cation OF labor conditions. II was be-
cause in time of emergency the gov
eminent or each OF these countries had
looked for quick intelligence and found
II wanting; had expected efficiency and
been disappointed, and had come at
last to realize that this was not the
fault OF the workers. but of the in
dustrial system itself.
Great BritainS new educational bill
contains number OF progressive
measures which would doubtless have
been scorned by the House of Conn
mons before the war. Moreover Her
bert Fisher. the president OF the Board
or Education. In q speech made in Par
Lament a few weeks ago, declared
that hereafter 1t would be the policy
OF England to Insist upon the educa-
ton and industrial training of tho
masses. so that the nation could de-
pend upon sufficient number OF
skilled and intelligent workers One
OF the measures OF the bill which Mr.
Fisher expects to put In force as soon
as possible Is tho provision for con-
tinuation schools for persons between
the ages or fourteen and eighteen
me attendance at these schools will
be for not less than eight hours a
week. and will be at the EMPLOYERS
expense.
The industrial lessons of tho war
learned by France and England are
now Of particular interest to tbj,
country The United States ChiIdrcn's
Bureau was the first to realize the i'm
portance OF obtaining all tho facts
brought out by the European Indus
trial commissions. The usual work Of
tho Children's Bureau is looking after
the nations babies. but the bureau
early discovered that IL could not go
very far In its work without encounter
ing the Industrial problem. It found
that the chief cause OF infant NOR
tality was the low wages earned by
INC babies fathers. and that tho NOR
tally rate was greatly Increased when
tho babies mothers also were COM
PEELED TO work in order To earn enough
TO live on.
Hard.hips Arc Increased.
Now. as result of the war. q great
many more women. including mothers
VIII he employed I'm the factories Of
the nation which will place greater
hardship on the babies and children
Therefore. the Children's Bureau does
not seek to prevent such employment.
but from tho information obtained con-
corning the same situation In Europe.
II hopes to insure the best possible
working conditions for these women
In the first place. according to the
49,
in Europe the Industrial world was
completely disrupted. Factories sus-
pended their production. hundreds OF
people were thrown out OF work and
thousands were starving. Then the in
dustrtes began to rally. as the war
began to create it's extraordinary de-
mand for production. and finally the
var boom set in. The need for. labor
was again normal-cven above normal
but II was impossible to get It. The
majority of the men had enlisted So
the women and tho children had
to step into the factory harness. II is
estimated that there are now 500 900
women working in the munttion fac
tories OF France. and approximately the
same number in those of Great Britain.
But even this was not enough. The
machinery had TO be kept going night
and day to supply sufficient military
equipment. and the manufacturers be-
gan to urge the necessity OF certain
exemptions in the labor laws. The
minimum aGe limit for the employment
Of children was lowered in both coun-
tries. tho regulations concerning over
time became extremely lax, and the
number Of hours constituting legal
working day depended largely upon tho
judgment OF the manufacturer.
Results lid Not Satisfy.
After these conditions had gone on
for about "A year. the government au-
thorlties began to be worried. They
were not obtaining the expected pro-
duction. IN spite OF the employment
of all the working population. includ-
ing men. women and children. on
twelve-hour shifts. the results were far
below the original estimates.
IT was then that the industrial COM