Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-01
HeavyCa|I for Women
In Production 5ki||s
Fills Up Classes
Form 80 to 80 Per Cent
In Defense Training
Program in District

TTOQF0m III OlStfISt
Only seven weeks ago the District
schools admitted women for the first
time to their national defense train
ing classes at the Old Harbor garage.
Now 80 and 80 per cent of all six
types of training classes are women
and the percentage is creeping up
Gil the time.
But even with the number of
trained women we are turning out,
the industrial demand for them is
50 great I wonder If we can fill it
ALL" said William D. Wallace, super
intendent of the national defense
training program for the District.
The same number of men still re-
port for the classes in machine shop,
radio maintenance, mechanical,
Typographical and statistical draft
ing. and aircraft and arc welding.
But the demand Mr.. Wallace is get
tinEfrom the Navy Yard and private
industrial plants is for women.
Want Draft Insurance.
"They want workers who won't be
drafted" he explained.
The garage, located at Ninth and
H streets S.W., takes about 600 STU
dents a day in three shifts, am.
to pm. 4 pm. to midnight, and a
special short shift from pm. to 10
pm. for students employed full time
during the day. Starting tomorrow,
$50 automobile mechanics will be
added to this daily total as they
study sheet metal, welding and radio
to turn themselves into aircraft
mechanics.
There are no women in the first
group" said Mr. Wallace, "but
women are being recruited for the
next class" He expects classes OF
600 automobile mechanics to be
training as aircraft mechanics by
January /. The mechanics will
work three days week and then
study three days a week, paid dur
ing the entire period by aircraft
building concerns. The course has
been set up at the request of the
Air Service Command.
About IS women are starting to
study machine shop tomorrow, to
replace IS who finished their train
Ing in the garage last week and
are now employed. AS each student
leaves the 200-hour course for job,
g new one is called from the waiting
list of 1900 applicants. Eighteen
map workers were dispatched to the
map service of the Army last week
and 10 more will take their places
later this week from lists compiled
by the Civil Service Commission.
About 100 map workers were trained
during the summer months.
Women Found Accurate.
Another reason the industries want
women workers, according to Donald
Ray, superintendent of the welding
shop at the garage, is that women
are faster and more accurate work.
ers."
They are easier to teach, too" he
said. They are settled in their
minds about what they want to do
and they take real interest in
what you teach them"
Men students, on the other hand,
said Mr.. Ray, are apt to 60 at the
whole proposition in an expert
mental" way. They don't believe
much of what they are told about
welding until they "see for them
selves and this slows up the learn
ing process.
About IS per cent of the welders
are women, lower figure than in
other shops because the heavier arc
welding is limited to men. The
number of women Tearing aircraft
welding. however. is expected to
jump to so per cent in the next few
months.
The garage is crowded to capacity
now, according to Lawson j. Can
trell. assistant superintendent in
charge of vocational schools, under
whom the national defense training
program is placed. More courses
may be added in the near future,
he said, raising the total of $4,000
already being spent to train workers
there. Last year only S159.000 was
required to fulfill the demands CT
Government and industry. but this
year they are requesting establish
ment of additional classes and hours
There's war to win explained
Miss Emma Griebel of 81 Wyoming
avenue, as she took off her the heavy
welding headgear to explain why
she is studying the trade.
Mrs. Mary Bissonnette of 140C
Twentylflfth street Sc. is training
to be machinist at the Navy Yard
because her husband is doing his bit
In the Army Air Forces. Mrs. Mil
dred Bozzi of 215 First street NE
is learning to run lathe because
her husband is contributing as
United States marine.
Pretty Betty Lee. 10. Of Camp
Springs. Md. is working in the ma
chine shop because she thought
school books too indirect" a methoe
of war work. Mrs. Esther Perry
4427 Potomac avenue NV. is prouc
OF the fact that Albert Schmidt, di'
rector of the machine shop, gave hel
the hardest job he had around las
week
You're the only one who car
handle this" he said, and Mrs
Perry rolled up her sleeves and wen
to work with pride. Much of thu
work done by the trainees goes di'
rectly into an airplane or machine
manufactured by private industry
Some of the bearings made at tn