The daily progressive-miner. [volume] (Ketchikan, Alaska) 1915-1919, 1918-08-27

lay our only hope Of keeping the
wheels OF industry turning there was
nothing to do but give them a trial.
To everybody's surprise the women
have made good. There Is no doubt
that woman labor IL q decided success
according to Sinclair Lewis. who has
been interviewing large number Of
employers on the subject. In Print
er's Ink (New York, July ~ Mr.. Lewis
says:
superintendent after superintend-
ent expressed himself In practically
the same manner: I have been using
women for jobs which. . year ago, I
would have sworn only men could I'LL,
and have been astonished and graf
flied by the success Of the women
cat many of the munitions factor.
les men and women are forging side
by side. ON equal footing. on jobs that
no one has ever done before. either
man or woman--such tasks as the
making Of airplane parts and new ma
chinery for shells. Where this Is the
case and consequently there Is no rem
iniscent prejudice against women, 1t
is reported that women seem to keep
absolutely even with the man in de-
yeloping skill in fabrication.
Large numbers of women are en-
gagged in acetylene welding. In one
of the largest optical factories in the
country women already make up Is
per cent Of the force.
MANY large manufacturers are
eagerly advertising for 'draushts-
women and everywhere is the report
of their success in that work and in
blue print work.
"One company reports that it has
in the last few months made 10
per cent increase in the number of
its women employees IN the factory.
that they are doing work formerly
deemed unsuitable to them-in the
packing room, in the tending Of ma
chinery-and that they are quite sue
cessful.
an metal factories. women are do
ing soldering. An increasing num-
Der of them are chauffeurs for pri-
vate families.
1.-THE entirely new industry Of MAX
ing gas masks is using a great num-
Der of women. The inspection of
these masks-a task whose Importance
s understood when it is realized that
defective masks would mean certain
and miserable death to- our soldiers
is so we'll paid and SO genuinely pat
riotic a job that many women have
resigned places as school teachers to
take 1t up.
Zone New York company has made
set of practical experiments to de-
termine how many of the "jobs that
are suited to men only can be held by
women The young women have run
electric trains-as motor-women, even
as brakemen cheerfully riding atop
freight cars; they have driven trucks
and tractors, and handled loading
cranes on trucks; they have handled
winches and big freight elevators.
They have gone up ladders to. trim
lamps. to repair electric wires. They
have been excellent as paymistressesy
as time-keepers, loading boxes, run
ming hand trucks, they have shown y
genuine efficiency.
"a new field of occupation which
has attracted much omment Is the
use CT women as street car conduo-
tors and subway guards. The New
York Railways Company. operating
NEST OF the surface cars In New York
says that out of its $500 conductors.
600 are new women.
IF one may judge from the testi-
fnony Of large employers. ~omen can
not and will not be so punctual or so
regular in attendance as men. and
they will not obey women supervisors.
They are SO personal in their point
of view that they should have men
supervisors, and unconsciously. with
out any Irritation about Il. they work
as much for these men as they do
for ambition or for interest in the
work. But despite these psycholog-
!, ical complications. despite their small
Ter strenth and endurance. women not
merely could solve. but actually are
/ sowing. the question Of labor short
age and they are offering tie one way
out from industrial stagnation during
the tense days of the war"