The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-13
Prospects For
British Women
in Engineering

London Jan. 12.-women's pros
poets in the engineering trade were
discussed by Lady Parsons in a re-
cent lecture at the women's institute.
Lady Parsons showed how women
had advanced in the occupation of
shell making simply by proving that
they were worthy OF being intrusted
with more responsibility. Women"
she said soon found themselves
able to do all the ordinary plain
machining required for the turning
of shells They did not mind lifting
heavy shells or the rather disagree
able task of filling shells with high
explosive. They could turn the shell
body. center and bore the shells,
curve, wave and finish the shell bases
They were soon able to turn out a
large output of work. In some
special shops their output, when they
were working the same machines as
the men under the same conditions,
was often greater than the output of
men who had been working all their
lives. Having got so far with ease
and satisfaction. women found them
selves up against unexpected difficult
ties owing to the trade union rules
forbidding them to set the tools in
their own machines. But since then
events had moved very quickly, and
in shops all over England some wo-
men were now setting and grinding
tools after only few weeks prac-
tice. At certain firm in the North
OF England, selected girls were ad-
mitted TO learn experimental work,
and they learned to do the specially
skilled work very quickly and we'll.
Most OF them could now set up their
own work in the lathes and milling
M a mr. a,,I 4,NA lie
They could center and finish off
numerous and divers metal parts al
lotted to them. They could make a
beautiful job OF the silver soldering
work required in the shops. One or
two were testing dynamos and flash
ing electric engines. Two or three
were learning to design from the
rough sketch. far more difficult
work than the ordinary tracing. The
girls could back the mirrors and do
all the numerous finishing processes
required for the reflectors used in
enormous quantities for search
lights
Women were now employed In
thousands by the large armament
firms in all the shops where proIectiles
were made. one single shop might be
700 TT. TO 1000 fl. long and in shape
nearly square. the floor space divided
into streets and groups of machines.
and in every street in every shop
women would be working at mach
Ines.
THE work women were doing in
engineering works fell generally into
two main lines-work on projeCtiles
and work In general engineering
shops. Shell turning had become,
from the immense quantities requir-
ed a reptltion work. Here some very
capable women were earning large
sums OF money that sounded like fairy
tales when the actual sums earned
first became known. AS much az 20
and flO a week was earned In some
cases. Women were engaged in num-
erous skilled processes. In the milling
and machining OF parts of gun me-
chanism, and the tool stores a highly
important part OF the machine shop,
were also sometimes in charge Of
women. The lathes, milling machines
glass cutting. and grinding machines
must he provided with an immense ar
ray of their own special tools, ready
for use and easy TO And In order to
increase the supply of technically
trained men and women at quicker
rate than could he produced in busy
shops, training workshops were being
established in most large towns There
was an increasing demand for edu-
Gated women who could work and set
up a lathe. and in some districts
mucn larger number of educated girls
than had offered themselves were re-
CURED to train Tor firms ready to en-
pioy them. Christian Science Mon
itor.