Republican farmer., 1918-07-05
EMPLOY WOMEN
 DOCK WORKERS
Brooklyn Company Hires 16 To Truck Bags and Boxes
 9 Hours.

New York, July 1-The New York Dock Co. at Montague street. Brook lyn, one of the largest in the world, began hiring women as stevedores Wednesday, and now has 16 American women, including an author, former vaudeville star, two negro women and several widows. dressed in overalIs, wrestling coffee bags from ' a. m. to p. m. five days a week. They are getting 4212 cents an hour, the rate paid men, and are trucking their loads with far more zeeal than the male of the species.
 This is the word of H. B. Whipple, general manager He predicts a bright future, for all women similarly engaged, though he really had no mo- tion the scheme would work as wei as it has in the last four days.
 T put an 'ad in the paper intend ing to run it a week." said MT Whip pie, and by noon the next day I had to shut it off because my office was damned with women eager to work. I had no idea that I could get them to They didn't look particularly husky, but they were mighty willing, so l showed them the plant"
 l Very considerably Mir. WhippIe led them to the warehouse, where l brawny, big listed and thoroughly l muscular men were tugging and sweating at 132 pound bags of coffee 1 hundredweights of sugar and a great collection of bales and boxes. DO you think you can do that Worg?" said he. Most of the women said they could and were hired without further de bate. They began worl; in the cof | fee warehouse and for four days have i been carrying loads from 100 to 2Ot i pounds lighter than the men, but bl making more trips have made a goo( i record
 | This says alittle of the sturdy steve dore, his undoubted gift for moving bundles and his. even more highly de | veloped gift of colored and pictur l esque speech. The women who weri
 hird first including Maggy Carbon
 the former short skirt twirler, had nt
 intention of fraternizing with the hus | kies of the docks, much less of at
 tempting to acquire their colorfu
 method of self expression. The!
 could trundle trucks with the best o
 the huskies, but they declined f1atl,
 to cuss.
 Wherein the original 13 were an ex
 cellent argument for female war la
 bor. But on Thursday there appear
 ed on the docks a gentle trio named
 Susie, Alice and Neva, robust girls
 powerful of forearm. and in their frs
 few hours proved excellent stevedores
 Nimbly they cast coffee bag afte
 coffee bag, 132 pounds at a heave
 down the airshaft. Nimbly the.
 trucked 132 pound bags across thu
 floor. Then they went down to thu
 docks to snake the bags out to thu
 loading ship.
 Right then things began to happen
 Susie lit cut on a run with a cargo ol ,I wheels totalling something under 50l
 pounds, and trucked herself directl! into a waiting pile of iron shaftings
 Susie dropped her truck with a scream
 Bill the Heaver, first boss of tn docks, came running to her rescue. Susie looked up with streaming ! eyes, rubbing her shins, elbows ant ] knees.
 Take that blankety blank of blank blank dashed danged rat of
 bling bang zip truck outa my way! scremade Susie. Move it! Nov that blankety truck-move-'' Here Bill the Heaver hoised a cal loused hand to either ear shamelessl looking at the lady's bruised distres without moving so much as finger . much less the truck that had falle on her toe.
 Bill the Heaver had heard som
 rough language, but none spoke with quite Susie's vehemence or com 3 mand of the profane. Bill was dod ' gasted. But he couldn't open hi mouth to say so,