Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-10-04
REPLACE men IN
many FACTORIES
Woman's Day Has Come In
Industrial Districts,
BL0OMER GIRLS AT MACHINE

Exodus of Foreign Labor Prior to Unit
cd States Entrance Into War and the
Complete Prevention of immigration
Are Among the Reasons-The Pay 10
Good and There Is Little Danger.
der Tag" has arrived for the wo-
man worker in the great Pittsburgh
industrial district Natty shirt wasted
young women are welding pen and
pencil in clerical positions formerly
held by men. Bloomer clad girls are
working at bench and machine in steel
mills and foundries, while women
wearing overalls are cleaning engines
and coaches to keep the railroad serv-
ice in tiptop shape.
The exodus of foreign labor prior to
the entrance of the United States into
the war has caused an unprecedented
shortage of labor in this district, and
the drain on the supply of workers fol.
lowing the nations entry into the con-
fict has produced veritable famine of
male labor. The women who have
stepped into the breach are filling light
or forms Of manual labor admirably,
according to employers. They learn
rapidly, are cautious in handling ma
chinery and with short hours appear
able to stand up under the physical
strain.
At the McKees Rocks plant of the
PRESSED Steel Car company sixty girls
and women are employed in the French
car department. They are helping to
build artillery cars for use on the
French front. About half of these
girls are American and half foreigners.
All are buxom lassies, full checked and
round of arm. Most of them were at
first employed as machine operators
helpers and later were promoted to ma
chine operators and assemblers. They
run drill presses and small milling ma
chimes. They work what Is known In
labor parlance as piecework, but all
are guaranteed day rate. They earn
from $14 a week upward, and their
hours of employment are from 7:15
a. m to 5 p. m.
One Piece BIoomers.
The Pressed Steel Car women are
dressed in one piece boomers, skirts
being discarded as too dangerous
where the wheels of machines are con-
stantly whirring, blue or brown in
color. Each wears dust cap drawn
over her hair, which is coiled tightly
around the top of her head. A few
have followed the masculine style of
hair cut. The work is not heavy, and all
the girls say they enjoy it. The COM
pany is pleased, and from six to eight
girls are being added every day. Many
more are needed to take the place of
men who have enlisted or been drafted
into the national army, but the COM
pany is particular whom it chooses
among the female applicants. Only wo-
men of good character and strong ply
sique are accepted. The company has
fitted up rest rooms, modernly equip
ped, and everything is being done to
make employment attractive to the
women employees. An apartment is
being fitted up in the machine shop for
women. 1t is planned to advance 300
men in the general offices, and their
places will be taken by women. About
afty girls are being employed in the
passenger car storeroom.
The Homestead works of the Car
9egie Steel company has nearly 100
girls and women in the various Of
noes OF the works doing clerical work,
and it is planned to introduce them
into the shops soon Within a few
months, it is said, 1000 women will
be on the payroll of this plant. Other
steel plants are employing women for
clerical tasks to take the place Of men,
and 1t Is declared that within a few
months the women will be found at
the work bench
Women on Railroad Jobs.
Women are doing varied jobs for
the railroads. The PENNSYLVANIA and
Baltimore and Ohio railroads have en-
gagged dozen or more female watch
men to serve at railroad crossings.
Most of these work in eight hour shifts
and get Is cents an hour. They pay
strict attention to duty, and no acci-
dents have been recorded thus far
where woman watcher was on
guard.
In railroad shops women wearing
overalls may be seen every day polish
ing the brass fixtures on engines and
doing lighter mechanical labor
The Pullman company is pressing
women INFO the service since the drain
ON their men workers started with the
advent of the draft. At the Thirty
third street yards of the Pennsylva-
MIA railroad thirty-three women scale
ladders formerly used by men clean
ing windows and outside woodwork on
coaches.
"ln overails," said one, 1--WE can get
around as quick as men, If not quick
er, and the work in the open air is
much more to our liking than inside
buildings. The change from inside
work to out in the open has made all
Of us feel better''
The Farrell plant of the American
Sheet and Tin Plate company at Sharon