The Girl in Industry

by Dorothy Josephine Collier

The secretaries of Clubs and Care Committees were unanimous in their condemnation of the present system of long hours. They say the girls they come across are thoroughly worn out, "languid and lacking in vitality," "pale and nervous," and "incapable of taking an interest in anything." The fatigue seemed to affect them mentally more than physically; thus the worker at one Club said that the girls working long hours, i.e. about 60 per week, were quite incapable of brainwork, so all classes, even needlework, had to be stopped, but they could stand the most strenuous drill and gymnastic work for two evenings a week and did not want to stop when the Club closed: the constrained nature of their work, generally tending automatic machines, seemed to increase their restlessness, and they are glad to work it off in any occupation involving movement. In case this point, which others corroborated, seems to contradict the view that the long hours made the girls lethargic and apathetic, it must be mentioned that this same witness said that when any girls were working 1½ hours over their 10 hours, they were fagged physically as well as mentally and would not have the energy to drill, etc., but would just sit and watch the others. As a general rule the girls do not complain of the long hours, and very few cases of complete breakdown are recorded. This is attributed to the higher standard of living made possible by the increased wages and to the fact that many girls have been lost sight of since the pressure of work has become so great.

The evidence from a few miscellaneous industries, drawn as it is from the experience of a few "good" employers, is of a very different nature. Here the hours worked seldom, if ever, exceed 9 per day, and in some instances experiments had been tried with an 8-hour day with satisfactory results to both health and output. It must be remembered that most of the work done by girls in these miscellaneous factories is of an intensely monotonous nature—packing and sorting finished goods, "taking off" on printing machines, making cardboard boxes or tin canisters, but, at the same time, the work is very light and easy and is learnt in a day or so, although some weeks may elapse before the maximum speed is attained. The only danger in these light automatic processes is the temptation, often encouraged by the employer, of excessive speeding up, but to this I will refer later. As a general rule, the evidence from this group goes to show that the standard of health among girls working 8 or 9 hours a day is quite satisfactory, and the sickness rates are very low. How far these good results are due to the shortness of the working-day compared with that of the munition and textile industries, and how far to the various "welfare" provisions, such as special attention to delicate girls, supply of hot drinks in the middle of the morning and afternoon spells, gymnastic classes during work hours and so on, it is difficult to say. It is interesting to note that one employer reported that the addition of two hours' overtime to a 9-hour day for three days a week caused excessive fatigue after a few months, so that the overtime was stopped, but after a month the pressure of work was so great that they had to return to it, and now they find that this excessive fatigue is avoided, or, rather, fatigue so extreme as to diminish output is avoided by working every fourth week without overtime.

Turning now to the textile industry, particularly the cotton trade of Lancashire with its 55½-hour week and its 6 A.M. start, we find opinion somewhat divided. A certain number of employers and their representatives declared that the hours worked exert no detrimental effect on young girls, and that the time lost through sickness is very slight. But these statements are outweighed by the evidence of most of the inside managers and some of the employers interviewed. One of the latter firmly believed that the present working hours are too long for young girls, and had often noticed how they fell off in health. Another states that young workers find the long hours very tiring and that a shorter working-day, which would be an advantage for all, is almost a necessity for young girls, although he has no exact evidence that the hours worked are actually detrimental.

But the heaviest indictment against the 10-hour day comes from the Trade Union representatives. Many of these declare that the girls are utterly worn out at the end of the day and are generally incapable of any serious work, which accounts for the small proportion of girls who attend Workers' Educational Association and other evening classes. The strain of most of the work in cotton factories, both on the preparing and on the manufacturing sides, is considerable, and the competition to increase output is very great. Girls and women are indirectly set to emulate one another and to compete with men and boys. Some observers say that the girls are tired out by 4.30 P.M., and that if the hours were reduced the output would be more regular, as at the present time girls are unconsciously forced to "slack." The Sick Visitors of one of the large Weavers' Unions in north-east Lancashire state that "shorter hours are far more important for the well-being of the weaver than either weavers or manufacturers realise," and they point out that the girls look much brighter and better when they are away from work with minor ailments, and certainly the sickness returns show that fewer are ill when "short time" is general as in the latter half of 1914. This is confirmed by the experience of other Unions. The weaving master in one of the technical schools, who had been a working weaver for years, was convinced that the hours are too long for all operatives, but especially for growing girls, and he said, "One has only to live in a household of weavers to notice the extreme weariness and lassitude with which they sink into chairs as soon as they get home in the evening."

As a proof of the evil effects of the long working-day my attention was frequently drawn to the physical differences between the girls attending the secondary schools and those who work in the mills. In the majority of cases, particularly in north-east Lancashire, both groups come from the same class and from the same type of home, but the former are tall, well-built, and rosy-cheeked, while the latter are often short, always thin, and generally pale and anaemic.

The comparison between the different effects of weaving and winding is instructive. The latter process is of itself more tiring and monotonous, and the strain is continuous; yet winders are said to be in better health and to be much more cheerful and energetic out of work hours. This apparent inconsistency is explained by the fact that the winders seldom work a full week; they frequently start after breakfast, and generally "play" on Saturday and one other morning every week.

One witness emphasised her conviction that the long hours were mainly responsible for the very prevalent ill-health of girls and of older women by declaring that no reform of factory conditions can be effective until the hours are shortened.

The medical witnesses were also unanimous in their belief that the long hours of confinement in the close atmosphere of the mill is the cause of much of the ill-health that is prevalent among girls about 16 and 17. The fatigue resulting from the hours of labour weakens their resistance to disease, and they are liable to fall victims to any epidemics, while anaemia, gastric and menstrual disturbances are very frequent about this age.

The worsted industry told the same tale. Many of the employers interviewed were in favour of a shorter working-day, as the younger operatives get very tired at 4.30 P.M. and work suffers, while a Trade Union representative declared that the hours are exceedingly fatiguing for all female workers, particularly for growing girls, who, unlike the men and boys, practically in all cases have domestic work when the factory day is over.

The majority of the employers in the clothing trade had never given any consideration to the effects of the hours on the health of their operatives. Consequently they were vehement in declaring that a 52-hour week exerted no injurious influences. On the other hand, the Sick Visitors of the local branches of the United Garment Workers' Union were confident that the 9½-hour day in the confined atmosphere of the factory was particularly harmful for young girls, and they pointed out that the sickness returns were always lower during slack time and during strikes, while other witnesses, although unable to make any definite statement on the effects of the hours worked, said that very few girls at the clothing factories have much energy for Continuation and Workers' Educational Classes after their full day's work.