Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-19
| GIRLS SUCCESS IN
MUN|T|0N PLANTS
More Than 5000 in Bloomfield,
N. ]. Factory; Arc Quicker
Than Men.

Bloomfield N, J., March lo.-One
thinks of munltioh factories as dangerous
places. likely to blow up any minute
One thinks of munition workers as taking
their lives in their hands But IN Bloom
field, n. j.. in the largest plant of it's kind
IN tho country, more than 1900 girls and
womcn~-wiih about The same number of
men-are making fuses and shells for
Uncle Sam IN almost perfect safety or at
east at no greater risk than operators
IN any ordinary garment factory where
they Use power machines must meet.
and they work under pleasanter and
more sanitary conditions than most Of
those factories can boast
IL is the International Arms and Fuse
Company which is working at high
pressure for the government, and which
last week sent ont n call for 900 more
girl workers Two hundred wcre selected
SATURDAY through the Mayor Committee
of Women on National Defence and
began WORK at the factory Yesterday
eGHu>>s srHrtD tfrs
On ,lGicl'tv h,-a new gri~ were
spared that made the life hard far some
who came there earlier the hes that
German .propagludiste Que spread
around there have hccn disprnvcd and
tho Germans who spread Them are nov
intarnnd WHERE th,t can io no more
mischief Il was tholr agreeable practic"
ia sci going runurs hat The girls working
AZ the | A. 4 to were not al thcy
should he morally. aud go make il difficult
for thcrn to get rooms ~ any dcc"nt home
hut Mayor Hawkins, ylrC- president OF
the company tracked down the guilty
ones and he government got alter them.
lie also invited the rlcrgy7nen nl nelghhot
ing towns to comic aud SEQ what they
Thought of thr piacc One. the Rev Mr.
Rack. Prcshytcran minister ~ Nnntrlair
i Thought So upIt nl Il that his daughter
IS now dnlne har llt operating turrct
/ lathe there She comes at Z o'clock ~.
| like the others If tho 5000 women AMI
works ~ hcr machine the regulation ten
! hours ~hr IS ono Of quite feu Young
| women " ho hav, gone tu work there
| no. So much for the pav. lorallso they
! could live without that as from the
/ dosiro ~ 40 something real and vital
| to hap win the war
| rtkf tArur vnRk
| Most ~ the work IS simple Even tho
/ turrot lnthcs. which look complicated.
| afo not really 50 had The girl has 10
stand hoforn thl5 keeping close watch.
| NOW turning 2 little wheel andnov grasp
1 ing the spokos If a Zig one But they
/ Iko il they hog to be advanced tn these
! from the enSicr work because Il pavs
/ better ona tall Norwegian girl laughed
as =he lett her lathe YESTERDAY at the
stroke u NOON
~ 80 o. out If here feeling ike
,hild ~ rlay. she said u work hut
you have - work frr ANYTHING IN this
world Nnd when night comes vou Just
| roll oNor anil o. to sleep and ncVer wake
I az tall morning I've been here you
and half and Ike IT. lt7 better than
! other factory vot,
tnd youre working fur the war
! II ISN'T that s. much she said
candiilv But ~ make hig money At
/ II
some 81 the girls At machines make
| SIS week Other girls. who sit at
| tables IA we'll lighted rooms and appear
/ to hc Aaylug with tluN objects cf hrase.
hut Who are rcal, ioing very important
work tlng and trimming brass fuses ~
assembling fhc pa't~ 81 larger fuses ~
inspecting those that arc finished the
inspection Is vary thutoueli, made and
occupes 2 great nanv persons these
girls raunot make So much money. their
Jobs uat hrne very difficult fhey
begin Il rc,c Worl and The minimum pay
rs ST ~ q wcck II depends ontiroly on
the elrl whether she Viii advance ln ray
and responsibility Somc who went ~
on tho lowest rung 81 the ladder have now
hcon placed a. well raid rlcroq places
Others are side ~ side with tho best
men Ht The latho-
po >nT Maki ruuI.~
rbo dnly thing women don't do there
Il tomskc tools The company makes all
ITS own tools and trained men have
this paf' of the work which requires
initiative fol thcv arc given drawings Of
viaf IS wanted and must work them out
tvr themselves MAJOR Hawkins SAID he
WOULD gladly plt women ~ thus Il any
had the training for IT. hut So far he has
not found any VITO had Skilled tool
makers ere AT premium III America.
vhich has not half enough to-day
What the Women can do they often do
more quickly than the men. MAJOR lIaw-
klnS says
The men object 10 that he SAID
man doesn't like 70 have the foreman
tell hIm that Lille ZONES at the next
t9he turned out $50 fuses IN a day and
he oul1 finished 900 and why does he
cunlbcr the earth If he lots q woman
heat HIM But ITS absolute equality
here Women arc paid the same rs men
for he same work. and we will let them
undertake anything that isn't too hard
for them
About the most particular thing the
girl workers do Is solder the platinum
bridge III the navy combination electric
primer Each IS very tiny. like q thin
ulrc from q watch, and one after another
She pushes them under the little flame
before her and soldiers them. Other |
girls fll long tubes with powder But
there is little work with powder allotted
10 the girls Most of it Is done by men
IN glass enclosed rooms. and here there
il So httlc powder allowed ~ a time that
even il there was an explosion il couldn't |
do much damage