The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-07-31
Women Take
Varied Jobs
In Defense

W omen OF al ages ana IN
backgrounds as varied as a complex
country can offer have been sign.
Ing up for jobs by the hundreds
a thousands since the war began
end the demand for womca cor
t'nueS undated. In labor short
acc areas, virtually any woman Who
wants a job can obtain ono r.
Other areas. although the need
less acute. there are many types
a. Jobs for both experienced aid
untra ned women
That age is no handicap In con.
tr.but.ng 10 the war effort IS ,Xcm.
phded 70-year.nld -C1--a-l4-
woman who turned the o.rae
room OF her house into a class.
room for boys about 10 undergo
navy training For twelve hcars
daily she held classes In coca"
raw cation and as the result Of her
teaching more than so boys passed
the navy courses withou, single
"washout" Prior 20 her Se,'-m-
posed assignment she sailed many
years with her husband a wealthy
yschtsmsn and was fourth mate
for one trip on treist;cr plying
between New Orleans and Africa
Young women arc in great de-
mand. too, as evidenced by The
experience Of one eastern wcnep,s
college which reported tina, ~ per-
cent OF this years graduates had
accepted Jobs in essential indus
tries before receiving their dip.o-
mas. The holder OF a Phi! Beta
Kappa key from a middle western
college stepped straight from the
campus 10 a job with a tool COM
pany in Chicago. When asked why
she had not sought a JOB more in
keeping with her academic attain
rnents she replied. This is the JOB
] wanted because. you know
there's a war going on"
Works Days, Studies Nights
AHpNAAti NOaASkC ~ ddGdtN N4ll-
ployed by the same company has
been handling milling machine
in the daytime and studying laN
at night. Born in China. she was
educated in this country and pu;
herself through college by operat-
fng switchboard and teaching
archery.
Il like this work much better
than would like Office work" she
said OF her tool company job. Il
%; a little exercise here and be-
sdes. I'm helping 10 produce war
materials"
"A still younger girl was faced
a. the age OF 10 with the problem |
a. supporting herself and her year.
Cd son when her husband was
DATED The job OF her choice
was that OF csboose inspector on
the New Haven railroad which
means working out OF doors in |
CHI kinds OF weather and covering
atwo mile area II thought that il
nay husband were 10 be on the
fighting front" she said "the least
7 could do would be 20 get a job
on the home front where rail-
foads are doing such an important
Sob. Then. too. there was the prob
lem OF supporting my baby and
myself. I'd never had job before
but ! really enjoy working"
Even the handicapped can make
great contributions. Some OF these
people have unique skills and apti-
tudes such as those OF blind girl
who eliminated a serious bottle
neck al a war plant IN New Jersey.
The plant was unable 10 obtain
proper gauges 10 measure the thick
ness of mica spscerS used in con-
6ensors The superintendent called
in a 2l-year-old blind girl 10 see
Il her highly developed sense OF
touch could substitute Off the nom
existent gauges. She was required
20 tel the difference between four
strips OF mica ranging in thickness
from five-thoussndths Of an inca
90 one and one half thousandths
Al the end Of two hours she was
sorting the strips without making
single mistake and n her first
day did a. much work as new
girl using a gauge could do in two
weeks. She and some other bins
people who were subsequently en-
ployed speeded up production 1900
percent.
A Buffalo woman IS "sub-con-
tractor" with a wheel chair 70; a
factory. Her Job has been that
Of sorting and inspecting rivets Tor
large s.rcra', plan, which she
has never seen inasmuch as she has
been confined TO her wheel char
for eleven years She realizes the
importance OF helping 20 bul1
planes and So O that American ar.
men are counting on us-wo'yc
got 10 get INTO ta.s Ting ana win
The Grand River whsch rae oyer
distance OF 800 mics q. s3.'-ern