The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1943-07-08
!. Romance Helps
War Factories
Survey Shows That Many
Welded Teams Are Toll
ing at Same Bench.


WASHINGTON. - Romance, as
well as victory, Is blossoming on the
nations assembly lines. says Uni
versa1 Service. ,.......~ -
In war industries, from coast to
coast, married couples are working
side by side at essential jobs. So
are many engaged couples. And,
contrary to the general notion that
people in love can't keep their minds
on their work, personnel managers
report that these romance teams"
generally set an extra-high record
Of job efficiency.
Why? Several reasons are adj
vanced by the experts. but the chief
factor Is believed to be that joint
employment Of married couples
often makes for more normal type
of home life, and thus permits bet
ter concentration.
Absenteeism, according to reports
made available to the War ..-arl-
power commission, Is almost I'M
known among these romance
teams"
60. Keep Same Hours.
Having the same hours, husband
and wife can share the same amuse-
ments and the same friends-some-
thing that Is often impossible when
either member Of the family Is .
night worker.
Many Of the romance teams" are
no longer young. -sE 49,. s....a-s
Mr.. and Mrs. William r. Shaw Of
Pittsburgh might be called "the per-
feet working couple" They form .
riveting team in be Glenwood shops
Of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
When they rivet the seams Of loco
motive boiler, Mrs. Shaw, 43. stands
inside with a bucking bar to hold
the red hot rivets. while on the out
side her husband. 50, operates the
pneumatic riveting hammer. ID
At the Rock-Ola corporation fac
tory in Chicago. engaged on war
contracts, William T. Moore and his
wife. Mary, work on the same door.
They met and married In Ireland
during World War /, when he was
In the United States navy. After
the war they came to the United
States. With them was their baby
son, John Kenneth Moore. In baby
contest aboard their ship. the young
ster took first honors as 'the perfect
baby" The perfect baby" is now
a lieutenant in the United States
army.
His mother, as her added contribu-
ton to victory, operates milling
machine on an essential war job.
| His father is an inspector in the
same plant.
Taught Fiancee Job.
Frank Battista. assembly machine
adjuster in the Winchester Repeating
Arms company plant at New Haven,
Conn.,, met his wife-to-be. Aptoinette,
when she got a job there several
months ago. He taught her how to
operate a machine for assembling
cartridges for a semi-automatic car
f,ine. It wasn't long before Frank
and Antoinette were married.
The Battistas continue to work in
the same department. Frank, ex.
pecting the army will call him soon.
has been teaching Antoinette all he
knows about adjusting machinery.
So If he is called she can step into
his Job and not only keep the home
fires burning but the job wheels turn
ing. @
| Similar couples are daily contrib.
uting their part to the war effort
throughout the country.
A survey shows that, generally,
they share the home. tasks as. well
as their factory tasks. .....s
Some take turns in getting meals
"It works out fine with u.s." says
Mrs. Battista. 1--WE really spent
most Of our honeymoon in the fac
tory, and it's still a honeymoon, I'm
glad to say. a-.ss
1--WE do everything on share
and-share-alike basis, like real part
ners And IL works out beautifully