83,000 of these new since the war.
They are doing typing, shorthand, and secretarial work, organizing and
executive work. They are in the Censor's office in large numbers and
doing important work at the Census of Production. There are 146,000 on
Local Government work. The woman teacher has invaded that stronghold
of man in England, the Boys' High and Grammar Schools, and is doing
good work there. They are replacing men chemists in works, doing
research, working at dental mechanics, are tracing plans. They are
driving motor cars in large numbers. Our Prime Minister has a woman
chauffeur. They are driving delivery vans and bringing us our goods,
our bread and our milk. They carry a great part of our mail and trudge
through villages and cities with it. They drive our mail vans, and
I know two daughters of a peer who drive mail vans in London. I know
other women who never did any work in their lives who for three years
have worked in factories, taking the same work, the same holidays, the
same pay as the other girls. Women are gardeners, elevator attendants,
commissionaires and conductors on our buses and trams, and in
provincial towns drive many of the electric trams.

[Illustration: WINDOW CLEANERS]

[Illustration: STEAM ROLLER DRIVER]

In the railways they are booking clerks, carriage and engine cleaners
and greasers, and carriage repairers, cooks and waiters in dining
cars, platform, parcel and goods porters, telegraphists and ticket
collectors and inspectors, and labourers and wagon sheet repairers.
They work in quarries, are coal workers, clean ships, are park-keepers
and cinema operators. They are commercial travellers in large numbers.
They are in banks to a great extent and are now taking banking
examinations.

There was a very strong feeling as the replacement by women went on
that there must be no lowering of wage standards which would not only
be grossly unfair to women but imperil the returning soldier's chance
of getting his post back.

Mrs. Fawcett, on behalf of the Women's Interests Committee of the
N.U.W.S.S., called a conference on the question of War Service and
wages in 1915, and Mr. Runciman stated at the conference:

As regards the wages and conditions on which women should be
employed, as a general principle the Exchanges did not, and
could not, take direct responsibility as to the wages and
conditions, beyond giving in each case such information as
was in their possession