TITLED WOMEN AS SHELL-MAKERS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 96, 15 October 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

TITLED WOMEN AS SHELL-MAKERS.

SUCCESS OF THE ERITH

SCHEME.

"I have received over two thousand letters from women who want to come to Lesney House to be trained as makers of munitions, ' said Mrs. Cowan, wife of the M.P. for East Aberdeenshire, to a "London Daily Chronicle" representative yesterday. Mrs. Cowan and her friend, Mrs. Moir, interviewed Vickers, took Lesney House, furnished it, and set their scheme going within a week. In its way is is one of the finest things done in war service. There has been no appeal for public support, no ousting of factory girls who must work for their living,' and already the ladies who are making shells at Erith have won the gratitude of the regular workers. " We are full up at Lesney House till Christmas," continued Mrs. Cowan. "Our only regret is that we can't accept all the applications that have poured in, and train all these eager women at once. I should be glad if you would make it quite clear that women who want to go into factories for a livelihood ure not wanted; the whole idea is simply to enable the regular workers to rest at the week-end by utilising the services of leisured women who can afford to give their time " "It has been most unfairly suggested that the volunteer workers are causing financial injury to the regular hands. I do not know what the conditions are at Birmingham and Newcastle, and other munitions centres, but at Erith no girl over 18 gets less than 15s. a week, and most of them fn six days, can earn from 355. to £2. They are, therefore, only too glad to sacrifice the Sunday duty and take a much-needed rest. The girls have been working on Sunday, not out of sheer necessity, but from patriotic motives. A seven day week over a long period, however, is more than many or them can stand. A day or two ago I had a visit from the Vicar of Erith, and he told me that his daughter, and a deaconess, who both work amongst the girk, had heard constant expressions of gratitude for the work of the volunteers. Mr. Pearson, the manager, tells me, too, that the girls are delighted with the innovation, and so far from resenting the advent of leisured women into the factory are eagerly waiting for further recruits. The scheme has gone so well that the regular factory girls are now on night-shifts, which was not possible before the first party started work. Mr. Pearson is determined not to take on educated women as regular factory workers until the normal supply of labour is exhausted. There is no question at all of society women competing against the self-supporting iaoour. Their work is done from the pure motive of helping the country througn its crisis without upsetting industrial conditions.

One of the volunteers on her first day turned out forty shells. "Your output will be tremendous in a week's time," said the forewoman encouragingly. All these leisured workers toil side by side with the factory hands. There is no special class of instruction, no privileges. They are paid at the usual rates, their wages going to the upkeep of Lesney House, where the workers live during their training. VIGKERS DELIGHTED. Lesney House has been described as "palatial." As a matter of fact, it is very simply, almost austerely, furnish- «<*• ~ .. "This is Lady Gatacre's room, said Mrs. Cowan, as she opened the door of a small bed room. It contained an iron bedstead, a small dressing table, while the boards were bare. Another room had three beds in it: again the floor was uncovered. There were no wardrobes, just pegs on the door. The servant's room in any suburban house would i bably be more luxuriously equipped. "We have just one bath room," laughed Mrs. Cowan, " and, as you see by the notice on the door, ten minutes only is allowed for a bath. We have to keep to the bath time table very rigidly." The house,which stands in beautiful grounds, has not been redecorated. The worker* live very simply. Mrs. Cowan apologised quaintly for the presence of a cake on the tea table. It was a gift," she said. "We don't go in for such luxuries."

At present 24 ladies are sleeping m the hostel. Last week they worked the 2.30 till 10.30 shift. This week they are on duty from 6.30-2.30. Mrs. Cowan says that the authorities at Vickers are delighted with the progress their new workers are making, and they will take as many more as the hostel can send them. There is, too, a possibility that the firm may even erect huts for the putpose of housing ladies who so patriotically offer their services for making munitions. At present, however, Mr-. Cowan is busy looking for anothei house as an additional training centre; 6he hopes to complete her arrangements shortly, and it will then be possible to accept more applications from would-be munitioneera. With the idea of putting the cheme on a business footing Mrs. Cowan and Mrs. Moir have registered a small private limited company, on a non-profit basis, under the title of " Women Munition Workers, Ltd." The wages of the volunteer workers are not, of ■course, sufficient for the upkeep of the hostel, and Mrs. Cowan believes that many people will be glad to take shares in the company bo that the splendid work may go on without interruption. "The company ia really just awa) of appealing to my own friends,' explained Mrs. Cowan, "but, of course, 1 shall be only too glad to receive applications from outsiders. Mrs. Moir and myself are managing directors, while our respective husbands are directors." Mr. Moir is a director of Messrs. S. Pearson and Sons, and one of the private secretaries is acting as auditor. Applications for shares should be addressed to the secretary at Lesney House. Over the week-end the factory workers of all classes will enjoy a brief holiday—the first for a long period. "It's hard work," concluded Mrs. Cowan, "for it is not a question simply of filling shells but of making shells."