Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-26
GIRLS HELP SOLVE
LABOR SHORTAGE IN
PACKING INDUSTRY.
Morrell's Find Center Sex Able To
Do Many Tasks That Only Men
Were Assigned Before; Are
Used All Over Plant
EIN1n NEW cApR CAFE AMI GAME

The labor shortage due to the cal
made by the nation for young men t
fight the boche and to the need TO
speeding up production of food AM
munitions, is being met here and Their
and no more place more superbly thai
at the Morrell packing plant IL
Ottumwa.
Here the wife Of who has gon,
:, s'oyer there" may be found employed
in some Of the numerous department.
Of the big plant. Some whose nus
bands have been taken by volunteel
service or tho selective draft may bt
found trimming sausage meat. stu1llnl
sausage, packing canned meats OF one
Of q score of other useful and honor
ah1e occupations.
WOMEN FILL THE BILL
Tho company has found that the
women measure up to all the Things
sxnected of them and although new IN
nome branches Of the big packing con.
cern. they have IN q general way Eos
by the experimental stage for, MOTT ~
hsve employed women ana giris IN
some capacities shout the plant for q
6ox vifh the biz service flag Of the
Mor1all uiant showing hundreds OF
sfsrs for men n some branch OF tne
ssrvSae. 4 small army Of women anu
rirla nave been given tasks that here
{nfore were not available for the gen.
tier sea.
WORK JUST LIKE VETERANS
The work Of some Of these women Is
MT tha sort Ia which one generally
finds the gentler sex engaged In, for
Il REQUIRES considerable endurance to
stand long In one place or at least 10
be ON ones feet continuously Tor a
long time, even for hours. Then, too,
q vrestle With heavy sides OF meat,
hams. shoulders and bacons, just like
the men have been doing for years
there, is not easy, but the women do
this like veterans. Don't get the I'M
preston that the woman Is permitted
to make truck horse of herself or 90
any Of the real heavy work such as
trucking loads Of meat and boxes to
cars. Nothing of that kind Is per-
mitted, although some Of the women
have asked to be permitted to truck
when the work In their department
was slack and they wished to COM
plete the day and get in full time.
WANT TO 20 TRUCKING
They have been known to say, II can
do anything a man can do. Try me;
can truck. I can handle those boxes"
These and similar expressions are
flung at the foreman by some OF the
rnore strong and ambitious girls and
women.
WORK THROUGHOUT PLANT
There are 49, women and girls now
employed at the Aorrell plant and
they may be found In the following
departments:
killing, cutting, trimming, sausage,
canning, fresh meat packing, export
packing, jobbing and smoke meat de-
partments, lard refinery, box factory,
saw mill, In clerical work such as seal
ing and checking, stenctling boxes and
shipping work. In fact there are but
few branches Of the plant where wom'
en- and girls are not employed.
GIRLS WEAR ovERALLs
These girls and women dress for the
work, too, and they dress safe and
sane. Skirts like at home? Danish
the thought. Nothing else than over
ALI somewhat Ike the men wear.
Skirts are not the garments for q |
wsman Or girl to wear at a manufao- |
turing plant. At least that is what the |
Urn thinks; 70 do most Of the girls !
81 women at Morrell's, too.
At drst they did not like the idea. |
That is, some Of the older ones rather |
hald out. It was somewhat Of de-
parture and then they thought they
were being ogled and that the young |
fellows were inclined to laugh and |
make jest Of their sister employees
faiment That has all disappeared |
now. No one pays any particular at |
tention to the overa1ls on the girls. |
Some Of them wear them to and from |
their work. Most Of the women, how !
ever, change their garb complete at t