Evening star., 1942-11-13


now operating a day care program
for children, which, 1t Is said, might
be a model for the Nation.
The New England plants of the
| United States Rubber Co. are re-
ported to be concentrating almost
| their entire hirings on women and
are about to begin day care pro-
gram at each plant to induce young
married women with children to
seek employment
Officials of the Pacific Coast air.
craft industry have informed Gov
ernment agencies that women con-
stituted Is per cent of all plant hir-
lngS last month.
John Green, president of the Ma
rine Shipbuilders of America, CIO
has informed Senate labor sub
committee studying the smanpower
problem that shipyards on both
coasts and on the Gulf are now
training large force Of women for
both heavy and light work.
Make First Class Machinists.
President H. w. Brown of the In
ternational Association of Machin-
lists. AFL, told the Senate subcom-
mittee that women make first-
class" machinists and were being
employed In war industries through
out the country. He said his union
did not bar them from membership
President William Green OF the
AFL estimates there are close to
30000.000 women who are not en-
ployed in industry and more than
half of these fall within the vital
age groups Of 20 to "A years.
Mr.. Brown informed the subcom-
mittee that it is clear that as the
demands Of the armed forces grow
and as more men are called from
bench, workshop and farm for COM
bat duty" their places must be filled
principally from the reserve woman
power Of this Nation"
Women. with their alertness and
their ability to absorb training, will
not only help to solve the labor
problem, they will reduce the turn
over for many an employer, who
steps In now and takes the pick of
the supply Of women workers." Di-
rector Wendell Lund of the WPBs
Labor Production Division, declared.
Ballyhoo Program Urged.
Mr.. Lund, who is a member of the
War Manpower Commission, holds
that the solution Of the labor sup
ply problem begins within every
community.
While the Senate Defense Inves-
tlgatlng Committee was urging the
Government to resort to "ballv-
hoolng' to recruit women for war
work, the Office of Defense Health
and Welfare Services reported to-
day that considerable headway is
being made in getting communities
10 start day care programs to re-
lease women for work in factories,
The WINGS Management-Labor
Policy Committee sounded a note of
warning in the recruitment of new
workers into the labor force against
the employing of women with small
children, but the Office of Defense
Health and Welfare Services said
this would be a problem except for
the response of the communities to
meet this situation. 1t was said that
communities are realizing that this
is their responsibility, which would
be met by all resources.
Farm Work TOO Hard"
Community day care programs
are reported operating with success,
and much of the operating cost is
being carried by mothers who leave
their children at nurseries.
Concerning women on the farm,
J. M Hodson of Pioneer, Ohio, a
farmer with Is years of experience.
told the Senate Labor subcom-
mittee:
There is nothing that disgusts
the average farmer more than to tell
him you are going to send him a
bunch of girls or women to do his
work. Certain light jobs they can
help with, such as picking apples
and things like that, but putting
woman on the mower or loading
hay and operating tractor is just
too hard work. think we are max
Ing a great mistake when we urge
that type of labor too far"
In the local transit field, the
woman conductor is returning, the
Office of Defense Transportation re-
ports. They also are hiring women
as ticket agents, dispatchers, elec-
trical repairmen and gatemen.
A few truck companies are engag
ing women as drivers, the agency
reported. while the railroads are
returning to the use of women.
Besides their work in the yards and
around the stations, women were
reported busy in the shops, in the
yards and on the trains. They are
to be found as engine wipers sand
cleaners, laborers in shops and
stores, station agents, craftsmen and
levermen.
And, the ODT points with pride to
Amy Fisher. She is steam hammer
operator for the Baltimore e. Ohio
o Dof1r~oL