Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-03-12
Many Girls
/ And Women
Out Of Jobs
EJnemploym't Among
Fair Sex in England
Serious Declares the
Work Finder
BY Earl c. Reeves.

London, Mar. 12.- Unemploy-
8ent among women and girls in
1ngland is reaching a point of des-
\ ,eration, according to Miss Mar
4ret Bondfie1d, secretary OF the
Women's Trade Union league.
She will pause in her struggle to
1,ind way out to give facts and
igures with the deadly accuracy
Ind precision of an adding ma
hine, enlightening them with spc-
8ific Instances Of hopeless individ-
BAL struggles for existence.
W In England there are registered a
4 otal Of 100000 women and girls
who are totally unemployed or who
work only one or two days week.
,'rhe figure for totally unemployed,
IA quarter OF million, has been in
eerasing by about 10000 each
week.
Il "Unemployment Is still on the in
Grease" Miss BondfieId said, and
ave haveSevery reason to expect that
le VIII become worse.
Many Pitiful Gases.
Zone of the most pitiful cases re
bOrted is that OF an orphan girl
who served two and half years In
'nunition work during the war.
Last week she registered at labor
Exchange. There alone 1000 wO-
lnen and girls we're registered ano
,here were twenty jobs avail
sble. In utter despair she attempt
I'D to commit suicide. She is now
ipeing befriended by a woman al
most as poor as herself.
"All over the country the period
Curing which unemployment bene-
+ tits may be drawn is ending. Hur
,lireds OF thousands are losing their
Hast chance of obtaining main
Itenance. We are putting pressure
ION the government to act at once
land extend the period of main
aenance,
w "All this unemployment Is hay.
Hing a disastrous effect upon the
standard Of life. simultaneously
'lefinite attempt is being made to
'reduce womens wages. 1t is driv-
sing up to despair
" "All the work we have done is
now being threatened, and whole
groups of women are being driven
bnck to such wages as they received
before the trade boards act of 1907.
4 II Is an object lesson to women on
.lhe Importance of organizing them
lseives in industry, but meantime
fhe poorly paid groups are bearing
llhe brunt of the attack.
I'VE are asking to meet the i'm
me diate case, the extension OF un-
Employment benefit and immediate
.placing Of contracts which would |
ordinarily be given out later in the
wear. A great deal of distress would
lbe relieved If the governent and
lgocal government boards would at
''once place contracts for clothing,
lgoodstuffs and so on.
IA War Workers Idle.
n 1--WE are also campaigning to
have women share with men in The
various training schemes. There
hre large numbers of girls and wo-
snen who did war work during the
'period when they would normally
have been i'm training for domestic
service. They have no training for
'iiomestic service and cannot find
"This class tried to remain in in
tiustrial work after the war In pref
hrence to entering domestic service.
frhey are now only too willing 10
'kmter the trade which they formerly |
|hvoided, and are anxious for train
lhg."
Although there has been cry |
|lng demand for good domestic SER
wants the labor exchanges have 49,
300 unemployed women listed for
!euch work, an overwhelming ma
|jority OF them totally unframed.