After long wrangling between the engineering union and the employers, it has at last been agreed that women the shops shall have the same pay as mon after 82 weeks, if by that time they are able to do their work without supervision, The 32° weeks are to be divided into four stages during which the women's pay will rise. progressively according to the skill. After 20 weeks they should be getting three quarters of the men's pay, the full amount coming to. them after 32. When war is over and staffs are being cut down, itis stipulated that the women shall be the first to go.
There appears" no reason why in the stated time the women should not Acquire the necessary skill. The "Daily Herald" yesterday published 1 description of what 1s being done in. French armament factories, the numbers of which have grown enormously since the beginning of the war. There are already 800,000 girls at work in these factories and Another million are being recruited the men go to the army. There certainly no defieteney in their work.
Now that our Government has obtained powers to conscribe the entire resources of the nation, we may see the same sort of thing here. No one Knows yet how the Government's new powers will work out. But it has already been made plain that, Jabour will be moved about wherever It fs needed. Well, our girls will be ready for it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.