Show I Half of Able Women will Do War Work Soon By MARGUERITE YOUNG NEW YORK Are you in some sort of war work If not you soon may be whether you know it now or not Here are two signs of what's cooking First business experts predict that within the next 16 months one out of every two women between be- be tween 18 and 65 will go to a job jobin in essential war production n the farms in the assembly lines and especially the offices and laboratories of industries and military and in vital civilian services like war agencies Second Uncle Sam is now asking women to find their places for the big shift The U.S. U. U S. S man power commission in Washington and the U. U S. S employment em- em service offices all over the country are mobilizing men and women They want some of both for jobs now open and they want both to register and train now as reserves They are concerned with getting a good enrollment from housewives who have no other work than what they do around the home What the individual in- in should do varies with her qualifications her family and her locality Thus 1 Women who want war jobs who are trained and who live in undermanned production centers like Baltimore Seattle and the state of Connecticut are asked to apply for work now 2 Women everywhere who want a war job but lack train train- ing for it are asked to register voluntarily and start training now for places which will open later 3 Women who neither expect nor want a job outside of home are asked to help and persuade the men in their families to register reg- reg ister train and get routed now for essential production Sons and husbands in nonessential jobs are expected to move and will gain by acting now Who can do what and what does it give Business men and government experts have been studying those questions for some time They draw a picture very dif dif- ferent from that of women in World War I. I Six thousand women are working work work- ing in government arsenals now and are in civil service doing not only clerical work but picturesque and unique tasks which usually arent aren't done by women reports Thelma McKelvey McKel- McKel vey chief of the women's labor supply service of the war production pro pro- board They are handling highly confidential con con- processes operating heavy duty speed high electric sewing machines using sol sol- dering irons and presses making final inspection where an oversight could cost a bat bat- tle Besides liners assembly and inspectors women are doing all allright right in spectacular technical jobs and these offer a second big field for women who want an outside home future Miss McKelvey says women toxicologists and chemists are testing gases known to be possessed pos pos- by the enemy and also American chemicals to combat them The shortage of engineers of every ilk and of physicists pharmacists phar- phar pathologists hygienists and immunologists is now acute The National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel says war agencies are ready to use women in 65 per cent of the specialized personnel jobs and that private industry should use as many Theres There's a similar story in the professions law medicine public pub pub- lic administration writing economics eco eco- and above all social work ranging from child guidance guid- guid ance to public health adminis- adminis Leading women's colleges col- col leges are expanding their courses to train girls or these voca- voca The government is making mak- mak ing loans to students to keep them in training In all fields Miss McKelvey believes about women will be employed by the end of 1943 Besides those competent authorities au- au forecast millions of women with homes and families will be volunteers that is educated college and specially trained r work with paid professionals in child care health hospital and other civilian civil civil- ian services |