Arizona republican., 1918-03-01
WOMEN LABOR|NC AT WORK UT MEN, STORY
 GIVEN COMMISSION
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-A special session of the railroad wage commits sion was held today to hear Miss Pauline Goldmark, sister-in n-law of Associate Jutice Brandeis, tell of the employment of women on the rail- roads. She gave figures to show road women are being hired in in- creasing numbers for heavy work, her statement contradicting in some in- stances the testimony of railroad ex- ecutives.
 Miss Goldmark appeared as repre- sentative of the Consumers League of New York and other organizations. Her testimony was given informally and will not be included in the record until she has incorporated it in d formal statement.
 Women were first employed in any number by the railroads about a year ago, Miss Goldmark said, at the in- stance of the railroad war board. They were put in clerical positions ex- perimentally, but their use has been extended until now they are in the freight yards, section gangs, shops and round houses. While much of the work is suitable to them, many occupations involve heavy physical strain and other hazards. Miss Gold mark doubted the advisability or em- ploying women on section gangs Tor work out of doors in all conditions of weather and without proper at tention to their physical welfare.
 Tn order that there shall be no wasteful use of labor and to reduce the turnover" she recommended, it is important to make an investigation and standardiZe the work for which women may be employed before their numbers increase. One railroad en- ploys 400 on one division and another employs 1,517 women workers"
 Can Lift Big Weights
 Mss Goldmark declared white women were lifting weights of as much as fifty pounds in work as drill press operators.
 Are women used in England in the same occupations or in harder work?" asked Secretary Lane, chair man of the commission.
 "They are used in England in the operation of street railway services and also as station agents and 1T other work in connection with the operation of trains and in shops, Miss Goldmark said. She added tha' the English were using increasing care to provide mechanical equipment Tor relleVlnS lHe WOlHeh 1iOAA iiAt ing heavy weights.
 She told of Investigating condition! at a factory in Zanesville, Ohio Where many women are employed.
 "The majority of women at thi' plant" she said, "are engaged at hart labor. such as loading scrap iron, sort ing scrap iron, wheeling iron casting in wheelbarrows, etc. The women load ing scrap and sorting some work ou in the yards with no protection iron intense rays of sun or weather. Thes women wear overalls and large brin hats. They hand the iron up from tn ground to others in the cars who pill it. The hours are nine hours a day. 5 hours a week, with one-half hour fo lunch; wages 20 cents an hour, an, $1.50 deducted each month for relic purposes. Men are given 21 cents al hour for labor of the same class"
 Laws Not Complete
 Miss Goldmark said 0 recommends tion had been made that the railroad observe the labor laws in protection o women, but that these laws did no cover many occupations.
 For instance, there is no law af fecting women employed on the stree cars, and therefore it is necessary thi year to put in bill for their benefit, she said.
 There is great confusion as to tn classification of women working on tn railroads for in Minnesota the law .ap plies to all establishments where powe driven machines are used, yet railroad claim that the roundhouses are not un der the law. In New York state, tn shops are considered under the fedora law but the roundhouses where tn women are employed as engine dis patchers, are not so included"