The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-11-12

THE FACTS
With PHILIP PEARL

IbyStanderS In this war. Iney re going
Ito work And we don't mean rolling
bandages for the Red Cross or knit
lting sweaters, or giving bridge teas
for war relief. We mean hard, sub
stantial work in machine shops, in
munitions factories and in aircraft
iplants.
AS more and more men are called
from the labor force for military serv-
ice, their places are being filled by
women women trained to handle
tools and do precision work. For the
duration, the outmoded adage about
Iwoman's place being in the home will
| be forgotten. Her place will be on the
|assemby line.
In England, in Russia and in Can
lada women are already serving as
production soldiers in greater num-
bers than men. and they're doing
swell job. They're working long hours
and they're producing tOp-notch goods.
1t has long been the fashion-for
men-to look down upon women as
helpless creatures who have to be
sheltered and protected. Some women
have contributed to this delusion by
posing as clinging vines. But the gen
eral notion that women are too deli
cate to work hard and hold up their
end has not only been disproved in
foreign lands but right here in our
own country.
The Victory Spirit
| Many thousands of American women
Ialready are employed in aircraft
Iplants and munitions factories. We've
asked union leaders about them. And
| the almost unanimous response is that
they're doing better job than the
men they've replaced.
| When it comes to precision work
and jobs requiring manual deXterity,
the gals have got it all over the men.
They are much handler and much
more efficient at that kind of work.
|They are also proving themselves eX-
lpcrt at riveting and welding-beleve
| it or not. In aircraft plants women
nOW constitute more than 10 per cent
of the employees doing manual labor
keeping up with their production pace.
! OF course, in England more than 60
lpcr cent of aircraft employees are
Women-and it may come to that here
TOO During our recent stay in Canada,
we learned that some 20 per cent of
machine guns are women and manage
ment is delighted with their produc-
| ton achievements.
1t isn't skill and deXterity alone
that's responsible for the fine record
women are making in war industries
we can't believes that because they've
had less training and experience. It's
their spirit that counts. Practically
Ievery one of them has son, II brother.
la husband or q sweetheart in the
fighting forces and they know that
they can help their loved ones win by
turning out the materials of war
which are essential to victory
Our Hats Are OF
| Because of that spirit, we feel con
ident that the women of America will
al
work which is coming soon. Naturally,
Ia great many women with children
Icannot be spared from the home. But
hundreds of thousands of them who
have the urge and the opportunity to
help their country will be overjoyed at
the opportunity to take jobs in war
Industries.
/ We mustn't forget that because so
many men who helped Support their
families are now i'm the Army and
Navy these families are having Il
much tougher time getting along now
The high cost of living has hurt them
most. Women in these families who
Iare not tied down by small children or
lother home responsibilities are going
Ito be glad of The chance of earning
extra dollars and helping the victory
effort ut the same time
And make no mistake about it-or-
IganiZed labor viii see TO it that the
principle of equal pay for equal work
'jWill be upheld throughout war indus
ItrieS. That means no chiScling en-
Ipaying women less than the men
|Whose Jobs they are taking over.
And il is a tribute 10 the intelligence
land good sense of the women now
working in Wal" industries that they
Iapprecate the efforts of the trade
Iuni"n movement in their behalf They
make the best union members, as
Imany AfL unions can attest. They
|rcalizo that without union protection
lthcy would be exploited, SO they join
lup promptly and back up the organ
|ization loyalty.
/ So let's take our hats off to Amer
ica'S Womcn-nUt because of silly, CON
lvcntional decurum but in tribute 10
Their courageous spirit and real abil-
Ilty-and, God bless them, they're just
IaS attractive in oyeralls as in evening
gowns.