WOMEN IN SHIPYARDS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 15, 12 October 1918, Page 13

WOMEN IN SHIPYARDS

CHANGE CAUSED BY WAR

Wlien it is realised that the building of big merchant steamers is admittedly one of: the hardest and roughest occupations in any branch of industrial work, tbp 1 introduction of women "labour into the shipyards must bo regarded (says the "Glasgow Herald") as one of the most remarkable developments brought about by tho war in the' field of women's work. To-day women are to. bo. found among the riveters, . taking tho place of boys in the heating and conveying of tho rivets to the men who drive them home. They are working in blacksmiths' forges; they redlead ironwork, and do certain portions of the paintwork. All over a shipyard they may-bo seen, tidying up, shifting scrap iron, carrying baulks of timber, pieces of ahglo iron, and iron bars. Girls unpack the huge cases of machine- parts and gear, and frequently do tho more arduous work of unload-, ing bars of iron from railway wngons. At tho latter job many of'them are adopts, and tho speed with which! thoy shift tho loads and wheel them away in barrows or bogies is remarkable. The wages which women receive for all these and many other forms of labour in which men alono used to be.employed are double what tho men used to be-paid in pre-war days. A more valuable part of their work, perhaps, is done with machinery. Their work-in tho 'joiners' shops is particularly valuable ■in all tho ■ various items treated, - especially with tho planing machines, with which female workers produce a- notably large output. In the ongineers' section of the. shipyard also —outside of tho marine engino works altogether of course—women arc much in demand. They work various kinds of machines, such as screwing and boring machines, they face up flanges, oil and clearrall s machines, and in uiany.other .ways .-help on this dopartment in pvcry shipyard. All this work is performed smartly and deftly,' with excellent results. n But i women do even more' difficult and' responsible work than this. Experienced girls are very skilful in the manipulation of such powerful machines as those used for cutting angle' iron and for keel-bending. They even drivo electric cranes and winches, work which ! demands the greatost steadiness 'and care, and a large amount of.nerve, asthe lives of others depend upon their every movement. In all the foregoing instances: the. work is part of the everyday .'Toutine of ;ship■'construction;' butwomen are;■ also being employed in numerous,-, ways' in engineering ;= that greatest auxiliarv of shipbuilding, in which they are daily performing tasks demanding great nicety and skill. Tho proportion of women employed in eriirince'riiia work's is considerably greater than .that in the shipyards, on account: of the. larger number of nuic]iii">s ,iv»ij-.1-able..; able..; As time goes on and the. value' of women to tho shipbuilder grows the. percentage of women workers enwiged in the. construction of merchant steamors wjll doubtless increase.