New-York tribune., 1919-03-10
Returned Fighter
Has Right to Job,
Says DR.. Hor1aaday

Dr. Hornaday: "The employment of
women in mems places directly and
forcefully tends to:
II. Keep soldiers out Of employment
"2 Reduce mems wages all along
the line, and,
"3. Rob the American wife and
mother of her rightful heritage of do
mestic help.
"Who will undertake to controvert
any one of these declarations? When
DR.. Kirchwey says that he encourages
employers to retain their women work
crs, even if he robs the homes of do
mestic servants, | think he is regard
ing the situation in brutal way
"The first consideration should be to
protect the family, and that can only
be done by gradually turning back the
women into their legitimate fields of
labor-the work they were doing at
the beginning Of the war.
"The city needs more nurses. cooks,
laundresses, housekeepers. nurscmads
ana steamstresses. to mention just
few branches. During the recent cpl
demic there were not half enough
nurses to 60 around, and there are not
now. In New York City alone ] VEN
ture to say that 10000 more nurses
could be utilized right now
Work Enough for All
There is work enough for ali-the
returned soldier and the woman who
has taken his job. But reasonable,
sensible adjustment is needed. OF
course, | do not expect the women to
relinquish the jobs where they are
getting better wages, or the employers
to relinGuisn The women who do the
same work as the men for less wages.
But public sentiment ought to be
brought to bear to show them that the
married man, the man ,s;t? q family, is
the one who should be given the pref
erencc. g.: tne family is the first
thing to be preserved in any society,
the things that tend to harm the fam
lily ought to be eliminated.
"Ihe employment Of women in mems
jobs Injuries the family in a number
of ways. 1t keeps the men who are
the heads and sole supports of fam
lies out OF employment. 1t acts as
check to the marriage Of the women
who are thus working. And, finally,
1t adds the burden of housework to the
wife who cannot obtain domestic work
ers, or who cannot afford to pay the
eXorbltart wages asked, because of
the competition of openings in mems
jobs
The terrible shortage OF domestic
help has led wives and mothers into
most humiliating and painful position.
The cooks, laundresses and nursemaids
are insuffcrably insolent, and mcrc-
lessly dictate as to what they will do
and not do. Women with families suf-
tering for help are compelled to en-
dure it, unless they do their cooking,
II.
many now do.
"Dr. Krchwey admits there are
$4,000 women in mems places, and he
seems to think that places will be
found for the men. There is no indi-
cation of this SO far, however.
I'VE are faced to-day by a tremen-
dous problem of labor unrest. 1t is
coming nearer to q crisis every hour.
The price of every commodity except
labor has come down. That has stayed
way up and means to stay there. ItaI-
ian laborers in Boston are getting s4
n day, and other jobs have equally in
tated remuneration.
Must Scale Down Demands
Both men and women will have to
scale down their wage demands before
long, Men will not be able to com
mand wartime wages, but l am sure
0A.c iiOoI VI IHeu would be perfectly |
willing to take back their old Jobs at
the wages now being paid for them.
"Of course, I do not wish to Law
down fiat ruling that all women who
are doing mems work should give up
their jobs. The personal EQUATION
should be regarded here, as in eyerv-
thing else. 1t would be foolish. for
example, for n woman who is support
ing family with her earnings to rive
up the job to an unmarried man With
no one to support. All things being
equal, however, man has a right to
mans position.
wv omen went into war industries to
n large extent, but they are STAYING
since the plants were converted to
pcace-time production. They do not
have to do this, as there are larre
number of new occupations opened to
them since the war, without encroach-
ing on the jobs rightfully belonging to
the men.
"With the proper leadership in Off
clal circles at Washington the women
IN industry, the employers and the
pubic generally will come to recop
nlze that from the viewpoint of
square deal for every one women ought
TO turn back to the soldiers the posts
Lhey filled in their temporary absence "