Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-10
WOMEN WORKERS IN. THE
RICHMOND FACTORIES
Smoking Tobacco Makers Employing
More Female Pickers and Pack
crS Than Ever Before.
HARD LUCK TO HousEKEErERs
Ny More General Use OF Female
Help. Labor Situation Has Been
Improved to Some EXtcnt-All
Factories Crowded With Work.

So far as the factories in Richmond
are concerned there is still labor
shortage. and ali of the manufactur-
ing establishments could utilize more
labor il they could get /, At anything
like living prices but tho situation
has improved somewhat. and more fac
tories arc working near TO full forces
than at any time within tho past six or
eight months. None has all the labor
IL could make use of. but mono is as
seriously handicapped as it has been.
As far ns female help can be utilized
IT has been reSortcd to in order To
Keep things moving. The utilization
OF female workers is perhaps more
noticeable in tho smoking tobacco fac
tories than anywhere else. These fac.
tories are now crowded with work.
their orders being large and constant
~ increasing. and every ono OF them
could give employment To more hands
than they now have on the pay rolls.
but the situation has been very much
improved by the employment of many
women and girls Of the working age.
The smoking tobacco factories have
always had female workers at the
benches, and can use them 10 great
advantage in various departments.
They arc now employing more of them
than ever before. The factories have
had to offer the women and girls
both white and colored. extra induce
ments, and in some cases where they
have found extra good workers among
the women they arc paying them as
much as they pay tho men. In the
very nature OF the case women cam
not, as a general rule. do a s much work
in tobacco factory as men. They
may be paid the same rates for the
work they do Iand all Of the tobacco
workers are paid by the piece" in
stead OF hy tho day. but they cannot
accomplish a. much in day as the
men. and. therefore. while they may
work as many hours, their envelopes
nj the "nd Of the week do not carry
as much cash. There are exceptions
10 this rule. for now and then wo-
man Is found who is tho equal in all
respects 10 tho man nj the bench
BY tho employment of moro women
al better pay than they used 10 get
the smoking tobacco makers have been
enabled 10 get tho labor situation re-
loved to great extent. but they arc
still! cryin. for more people 10 bag.
box. stamp and otherwise work on
tho smoking comfort
This extra employment of female Ia
hor. especially when the colorcd WOO
men are put on tho factory pay rolls.
is rather bad on housekccpcrs. who
must have cooks and chambermails
and nurses, and they are complainin.
more generally and more loudly than
ever before Of tho scarcity Of such
hclp. Many OF them are. wondering
what has become Of ali Of the colored
women and eolorcd girls that used 10
be in reach for house servants. One
answer IS that !, great many of them
have put on checked apron and gone
10 work in the smoking tobacco fac
tories or Richmond "A
Now that ;he government has pu;
the tobacco factories on the list OF
essential industries by declaring smok-
ing and chewing tobacco a necessity.
thus allowing tho factories a suIici-
encE Of fuel to keep their engines going
and their drying rooms properly
heated. the smoking tobacco factories
viii be working more hours per day.
than heretofore. and they will he max
ing Still further raids on the female
workers brisadcs. This viii further
d"moralizc the hoasckccpcrs. hut 1T
rs orc OF tho cxigcncica of war, per
haps. and the housekccpcrs Will Just
have TO put IN with it and do the best
they can until the clouds roll by