THEIR NEW WORK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 238, 26 June 1918, Page 2

THEIR NEW WORK

WOMEN' AS CARRJAGE-CLKANEIK "Women do cleaning-better than men —they make a belter job of cleaning windows, for instance." .That is the opinion of a railway olliI'liil on tliu work oi! women as carriage i.-louners (states the Sydney "Sun"). The idea of giving women won; is to find occupations for widows of railway employees, and at prcssnl about 1-0 women are eny-ißed at the task.

When tho award wna mado there were very few women cleaners, but (hoy have practically all joined the virion. They tceeivo 6s. fid. per day. From Monday to l'Viday the women on the North Shore line sign on at 8.80 a.m., ami finish up at 5.-15 p.m., with a break of threequarters of aujionr for lunch. Sydneyside woriters colninence at 7.30 ii.ui., mid knock off at -1.,'10 p.m. On Saturdays duty begins al 8 a.m. and ends at 1.30 p.m.

"Don you kno v ivliat sweeping a carriage means?" said one of the women in answer to a question, about the work to be done. "Look at my bands, and I have, been here only two months."

The hands resembled anything but a woman's—they were cracked and (.rimed with dust, and great hard corns had formed on the palm between, the thumb and forefinger.

"Every day I dust four trains from beginning- to end, and sweep ivn. A train consists of eight carriage and a carriage contains 32 seats, so I dust 102-t scatq every day.

"Tho work is vory heavy. People say 1 should be glad to have n Government job—because it's sure money. But it is also sure work. Officials say wo women do our work better than the men—that's why they want to keep us.''