Evening star., 1945-08-27
US. Seeks 1000
Jobs for Women
Facing Layoff
Civil Service Agents
At Navy Yord Hope to
Find New Places

Civil Service Commission repre-
sentatives, accompanied by agency
appointing officer, will move into
the Navy Yard shops tomorrow to
offer other Government jobs to the
1000 women about to be laid off
but so far the only Government
openings available for the unskilled
women workers are as hospital at
tendants.
Recruiters of the fourth Civil
Service region said they had been
trying to interest other agencies
in hiring the women, but most other
field establishments here are in
the same position as the Navy Yard
laying of, not hiring.
Civil Service representatives have
already gone into the Navy powder
plant at Indian Head, Md, and
the Signal Corps establishment at
Arlington Hall, it was reported.
800 at Arlington Hall.
The Arlington Hall chapel has
been converted into an interview
unit where the 300 women facing
layoffs are being interviewed. A
civil service spokesman said most
of the women-clerks and typists-
probably will be absorbed by the
War Department although appoint
ing officers from other agencies are
interested.
The Navy Powder Plant and the
Navy Yard, however, present a diff
ferent problem. The women are un-
skilled except along the mechanical
lines in which they were trained on
the job. Civil Service said the pow
der plant had laid off $50 and ex-
poets that number will rise to 1000
within a month.
The Red Cross building at the
plant is being used to interview the
women for other jobs. Representa-
tives of the Fort Washington vet
erans' facility, Walter Reed Hospi-
tai and st. Elizabeths Hospital went
to the plant today to offer jobs as
hospital attendants.
Many Leave City.
It was believed, however, that a
number of the women at the powder
factory, who were recruited all over
the region, will want to return to
their homes in North Carolina, Vir-
ginia and West Virginia.
The Navy Yard, which said it
hoped the handling of the first
workers laid off would be a model
for future lay-offs, explained that
while the lay-off of the first 1000
women was dated September 7, they
would be held on the register until
the end of the month to give them
a chance to shop for jobs while still
in service.
Leaves are being given literally,
the Navy Yard said. to give the
women an opportunity to look for
other work and the yard also is
being liberal about approving trans
fers to other Government agencies
before lay-offs, where it appears
that iay-of will come eventually.
Is Quitting Daily.
Both men and women workers at
the yard are anticipating lay-offs
and quitting at the rate of Is a
day, yard official said. Where they
are quitting work still in progress.
other workers are transferred from
shops where lay-offs are imminent
The yard already has screened
the ranks OF the first thousand to-
be laid-off with the idea of find
ing clerical jobs for them in the
yard, but only 30 qualified clerks
were found in the group, the yard
spokesman explained.
The Civil Service Commission
which gave the yard the first oppor-
tunity to find clerks in the group,
said 1t now has notified depart
mental services the women are look
ing for work, but so far there have
been no takers.
Wanted at Three Hospitals,
The appointing officers who will
interview the women tomorrow will
offer jobs at ST. Elizabeth,s, Mount
Alto and Walter Reed Hospital. The
jobs will pay about what the women
are making now-betWeen $500
and 81 900, commission spokesman
said.
The commission believes number
OF the women took jobs for patriotic
reasons and will not want other
jobs but, on a preliminary check
made by the Navy Yard, the women
were reluctant to say what they
planned to do.
Representatives of the fourth
civil service region will meet with
Area War Manpower Director Ernest
v. Connolly tomorrow to decide
whether United States Employment
Service interviewers should set up
shop at the Navy Yard or wait for
The moraara To visit tho IICEC oHnoS