Evening star., 1942-11-05
Increasing Numbers;
OF Women in War
Industries Forecast
Fleming and Mrs. Kerr
Discuss Child Cure
Problems in Forum

VIVOISUS III OTUUl
Predicting that the next year will
bring increasing numbers Of wom-
en- into producing industries,
speakers on the National Radio
Forum, arranged by The Star and
broadcast last night over Station
WMAL, forecast a. commensurate
demand on the child protection pro-
grams OF the Federal Works Agency
and the Work Projects Administra-
ton.
Brig. Gen. Philip B. Fleming, ad-
ministrator of FWA, declared that
the problem of caring for children
OF women who must enter industry
must be solved. "And the better we
solve that problem, the more hands
we will have busy on the production
line. where they are so vitality need
ed," he said. n
The latest estimates indicate that
nearly 10000 American women
are employed in war industries, Gen.
Fleming said. Great Britain, with
one-third the population Of this
country, has approximately 5,500, 900
women war workers, and Russia has
10000, 900, he added.
More Must Go to Work.
within the next year we are
bound to see very great increase in
the number of women engaged in
such production in this country" he
predicted The armed forces are
calling men into military service, he
continued, and their places in the
shops must be taken by women.
1--WE will win the war, but in order
to do 1t we will have to utilize the
labor of everybody willing and able
to work-and that includes mil
lions Of women" Gen. Fleming said.
Many Of these women, he continued,
will be married, with children of pre-
school age who must have proper
supervised care while their mothers
are at their jobs.
The results of WPA and FWA
efforts in this direction were out
lined by Mrs. Florence Kerr, as
sistant to Gen. Fleming.
TO bring home better the points
covered in the discussion, two EN-
ployed mothers of small children
were presented-one, Mrs. Karey
Kayser, an employe at the Glenn
Martin aircraft plant near Balti-
more, whose child has nursery care
while she is at work, and the other,
Mrs. Claire Kessner of Washington,
who because WPA nursery service in
the District was discontinued In
1889, is confronted with the problem
of finding care for her son while
she is ct her job. " .t's-ss+ :.zzz-t
Cites Bill in Congress.
Supplementing Mrs. Kessner's
story, Mrs. Kerr announced that
Congress now has before it bill
authorizing reopening of the nursery
schools in the District. =
The WPA child protection pro-
gram, which includes nursery
schools, pre-school play groups and
related family life education, has
been in operation since 1888, Mrs.
Kerr said. At the time of Pearl
Earbor there were some 1900 nur-
sery schools and about 1900 pre-
school play groups, sponsored by
local departments of education, in
the 48 States. the Virgin Islands
ana Puerto Rico.
In the early days OF defense prep
arations the programs were altered
to serve defense needs and with the
entrance of this country into the
war further changes were made so
that the nursery schools could serve
the war effort, she continued. The
nurseries, she said. serve children
of low-income families, children Of
employed mothers and children OF
men in the armed forces and OF
industrial workers.
Threat to Health.
Densely populated industrial
areas, she continued. create abnor-
NAL conditions which are threat
to the health and well-being OF the
children, particularly those OF pre-
school age, she observed.
Through the 1943 WPA Appropria-
ton Act, which stipulates that not
less than S6,OOO,000 should be ex-
pended for nursery schools and day
nurseries for children OF working
mothers, this original WPA child
care program is being approximately
doubled, Mrs. Kerr said. The IN
clusion for care of children OF work.
Ing mothers, Mrs. Kerr stated, was
due almost entirely to the efforts
of Mrs. Mary T. Norton, House
member from New Jersey.
Doubling OF the project, she contin-
ued, created a personnel problem for
WPA so that regulations have been
changed to permit employment OF
non-relief personnel when absolutely
necessary.
Mrs. Kerr said that since the Lam
ham Act authorizes contributions
to communities for war public serv-
ices. funds may be requested for
nursery schools, for day nurseries
and for other needed services to
children. Application for such funds
may be made only by public or nom
profit private agencies which can
show legal authority to operate the
activities desired, she added.
E widens Age Range.
It was explained that the appli-
cations must show that the re-
uuested service is part Of an overall
community plan and that 1t has the
approval of community commit
tee, If such a group exists.
Mrs. Kerr explained that nursery
school services of teachers and other
workers and the cost Of practically
all materials and supplies-except
food--may be paid for from Lanham
Act funds.
While the original WPA nursery
plan was limited for children to
years of age, the new legislation
makes it possible to supplement local
school programs for children from
s to 10 years old, Mrs. Kerr said.
Gen. Fleming. In conclusion. said
A,.A Ala~ ,.~r>vre ~. Dc "frao}ner the