New-York tribune., 1918-07-10
Women Replace
Men on F arms
And in Plants
Remarkable Changes in Wyo-
ming Valley Result From
War Needs

WILKES BARRE, July 9.-Women
are rapidly taking the places of men
who have gone to war in various in
dustries in the Wyoming Valley, ac-
cording to review of trade conditions
in that region issued to-day by the
Miners Bank of Wilkes Barre.
Remarkable results have been
achieved in substituting women for
male help in this district" the bank
says. "A report just made to the
Wilkes Barre Chamber of Commerce
discloses that, notwithstanding the
heavy enlistments, the food production
of this territory Will snow 25 per
cent increase over last year.
"This is due chiefly to the fact that
since May l last more than 1.l00 for
eign-s speaking women have been daily
transported to and from the farms by
the business men of Wilkes Barre and
surrounding towns. There is probably
no community in the country that has
handled this problem more success
fully, and what has been done here
shows that such plan is entirely
practical and capable of general adop
tion elsewhere.
"Many of these women who served
for a time on the farms have gone into
munition works and other plants. A
recent visit to one of the largest plants
in the Wyoming Valley showed that
several women We're operating heavy
punch presses that were formerly
manned by men. The owner declares
that the women do the work better
than the average man, because they are
more attentive and are we'll qualified
for it. There are hundreds of other
women who could take the places of
male helpers in various industries if an
effort was made to secure them"
The situation in the anthracite dis
trict is serious, according to the bank
owing to the fact that great many
miners have been taken in the draft
and these places cannot be filled by
women. The official figures show that
IN the anthracite producing counties
Luzerne, Lackawanna, Schuylkill, Co.
lumbia, Northumberl Carbon. Sus-
Quehanna and Dauphin-fully 80 per
cent of the legistrants are miners. 1t
is estimated that in the anthracite
producing districts, through drafts and
enlistments, the coal companies have
lost II per cent Of their men
When allowance is made for the
shifting of labor to the munition
plants. as we'll as the total withdraw
ais through enlstments and the draft,
it is probable that 80 to 35 per cent Of
the men who have been prime factors
in the production of coal in the Wyo-
ming Vale lave been taken from this
necessary lpation.
This n.~ans reduced production"
says the bank, "as there is no way of
filling the places of the men thus
withdraw. The situation is we'll in
dicated by the official figures covering
anthracite production in May, which
we're 30,269 tons below the output for
that month of 1917. Inasmuch as the
June estimate indicHed that largely
Increased production would be needed
to meet the requirements of the com
ing winter, it would seem to be of the
highest Importance to retain the SER
vices of all men now employed at the
mines, so that this vital industry
would not be more seriously crippled.
There is good basis, therefore, for the
representations recently made to the
government authorities that recruiting
officers should not enlist applicants
that are engaged IN the actual produc-
ton OF coal in the anthracite feld'