The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-11-27
More Rail Jobs
/ Duefor Women
Likely to Take Over Many
Of Less Heavy Duties
Handled by Men.


WASHINGTON be sur
prised if six months or a year from
now women take your travel reser-
vatons, sell the tickets, collect them
on trains, buses or street cars, serve
meals and even cook them.
This picture of women's increas-
ing participation in transportation
jobs was presented by Miss Dorothy
M. Sells, consultant with the office
of defense transportation. She has
made a survey of where female
workers can fit into positions now
being vacated by men going into the
armed services or war production
activities.
She predicted a rapid upsurge of
women among the $4,000 job-hold-
ers in transportation. During the
last war, Miss Sells said, approx
mately 100000 women found posi-
tions in various transportation agen-
cies. At present, women employ
ees approach 10000 and additional
jobs are filled each week.
Women Drive Buses.
On the basis of studies of trends
in this country and the British war
time experiences, Miss Sells does not
expect that women will take over
many of the so-called heavy assign
ments, such as locomotive engi-
neers, motormen on street cars or
airplane pilots, although few may
obtain such jobs.
Chief places where women will
find transportation jobs, Miss Sells
said, are in fields, such as clerks,
stewards and secretaries, and in
other trades where they have abili-
ties to take over jobs held almost
exclusively by men at the present.
Among this latter classification are
positions as ticket collectors, school
bus drivers, trolley car conductors,
dining car mattresses and colored
cooks.
Miss Sells survey showed that al
ready women have taken over some
jobs in fields which before the war
were reserved for men. Women are
driving school buses, for instance,
in Southern California.
In Great Britain, women now ham
die practically all the work in SUBJ
ways except the actual handling Of
trains. They collect bus fares and
some have jobs as bus drivers. 9th
ers act as helpers to garage me-
chanics. Russian women also have
held many positions in transporta-
ton facilities.
Supervises Tracks.
Miss Sells said that preparations
should be made now for training
women. She has held conferences
with ODT officials and railway exc
ecutives to point out the importance
of adequate training. Women should
feel that they were needed in the
travel jobs, she said.
Traditionally, women have had q
hard time getting jobs other than
as clerks with the railroads, al
though there have been some excep-
tions. Two of the nations railroads
have women as presidents-Lucy
Rogers Walsh, who has headed the
Rock Island Southern, with head
quarters in Illinois, since 1892, and
Mrs. I. Dingle of the Cassville and
Exeter line in Missouri.
Another woman, who holds col
lege degree as civil engineer, has
an assignment as engineer of serv-
ice" for large eastern railroad.
Her job is to see that the tracks
are improved wherever possible.
One woman, who got her job when
the United States was at war in
1918, remained on and now she OPP
crates steam hammer in shop
where men hold all the other manu-
al labor jobs. Others serve as traf-
fic representatives or in public rela-
tons.