Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-25
WOMEN MUN|T|ON
WORKERS IN FRANCE
Member of French Mission Now
in Washington Speaks of
French Women Workers

women munluOn NuIhtio p'' -,
ate in France, writes Mrs. Laura hlnier'
Womrn's Service, United States Employ
ment Service, in the last issue OF the Em.
ployment Service Bulletin. Officials OF
The French Mission of Ordnance Engine
ers. that is now in Washington, point out
that conditions of employment In France
have been very different from those In
America
There was no Statc-owned employ
mont so,,.;cc in France for recruiting labor
at the beginning of the war. French work
ingrncn were almost universally mobillzed
nj the beginning of the war. W hen these
men are released for factory work now,
they must. in most cases, be secured
through the ministry oi war. ana are
liable for army service again II they do
not work satisfactorily, or If they arc no
longer needed by the factory. Captured
Germans and imported laborers from
Africa and China do a great deal Of the
heavy. unSkilled work None of these
classes Of labor, il is pointed out, could be
recruited through civilian agency.
WOMEN SUPPORTING FAMILIES.
More important vet is the fact that
since almost no exemptions are made from
army service, women In industrial CEN
tiers had 30 go TO work shortly after war
was declared to support the iamllIcs lett
by men who had gone TO the front:
Lieutenant Paul Bertmct, manager OF
large munitIon plant NJ n. ChamOund,
between Lyon and st. EnGhnc, says that
more women than could be employed
could he secured NJ his plant at any time
since war commenced. "The French Gov
crnmcnt has advised us a bout the hours,
wares and other cOnditIbnS which 1t Is
wise we should follow be said 'Em-
rloylncnt NAV be diff Ercnt at other
nl3nts. particularly at nc " ones establish
ed since the beginning bf the war At
81. Chamound We already know the wo-
men who come 10 us for work. Many OF
their husbands have worked for us. We
know that they can make and assemble
fuses and do other work that is not be-
vond their strength. Teaching them
amounts to little They learn quickly and
do well We have had as many as 10000
workers with 5000 Of them women
When women have come 70 us Tor
work. We have chosen the mothers and
wives Of soldiers. mothers of children,
widows. and tho very poor. We can do
fnat. YOU see. because we know them.
few Of them are big and very strong. They
wear trousers and smocks that are water
proof and their work Is to draw shell
eases from tho furnaces. The great heat,
the water. and the size Of the shells makes
II necessary for them TO dress especially
for their work Most of the women do
light work that is not hard We see that
they do not have to carry big loads. Many
women who have the necessary education
are employed in the offices IN work that
men and bows had always done
Women : wages are not equal TO mens $,
Lieut. Bcrthier said. but TO the wages
paid hy the private factory must be
added. IN nearly all cases, the allowance
made bv the government to all soldiers
dependants. Women at ordinary work in
munltion plant earn from = to Z francs
a iav. The woman who is the wife OF a
soldier. with four children, perhaps earns
eight francs. The government allows her
another four francs for the support OF
~hcrself and her children Her husband
probably made only ~ or II francs
With his clothing and food supplied at
he front. the family probably has as
much total income, Lieut. Bertmer eN-
planned. as it had in peace time.
What they most lack, he continued. IS
1hr care which the mother could @ivo her
children if she we're at home No special
provision is made for the children who are
too Young to work and whose mothers are
employed in the munltlOn plant al 1t.
ChamOnd, except the babies. A complete
nursery is fitted up AT the plant where
mothers can leave their babies in sanitary
SURROUNDINGS in the care Of nursemaIds.
Mothers are free to leave their work FIVE
or SIX 1 77f7pS a day 10 feed and care for
1haSc children Fresh clean milk Is iurn-
ishcc to any babies who are artlfcially led,
The entire expense of the nursery Is met
bv the owners Of the plant.
The factory al St. ChamOnd has been
unable 10 install modern features that
have been put into plants built since the
war began. because it is an old plant, the
lieutenant concluded. Rest rooms. din
ing rooms and reception rooms are pro-
Sided in many modern plants for the use
Of women employees, particularly IN plants
that have attracted workers who did not
always live In the town where the factory
Is located
America can, perhaps, learn from
France many things about the hours and
conditions Of labor among women num-
ftion workers that viii increase production
without harrning the women, and other
things that II Is not wise 10 do In the way
France has had 10 do them 1t Is lmpos-
sihle 10 employ women in exactly the
way We have done because many funda-
mental conditions which control employ
ment are different IN the two countries,