TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 577 



(3) Unpacking, Sorting, and Returning Newspapers. 



Women are being supplied by the unions for this work, at 20s. instead of 

 the men's rate of 25s., as a man must be engaged to lift heavy parcels for 

 them. 



(4) Bookbinding. 



Women are at present doing work which is usually done by men, mainly 

 in pasting the joints and in flush binding generally ; also in some of the easier 

 parts of vellum binding, which, as a process, is highly skilled and has hitherto 

 been entirely in men's hands. 



Processes in which women are normally employed : 



(I.) Feeding. 



The employment of women has been increasing for a considerable time. 

 The work is unskilled and the reason sometimes given for employing girls 

 instead of boys is that if boys are employed, it brings too many into the trade. 

 A considerable number of boys, it is true, enter the trade as feeders and have 

 to leave it at the age of eighteen. The work is low-paid, as a injle, starting at 

 OS. and rising to 10s. or 12s., but in a good firm, after four or five years' 

 experience, a girl will get as much as 15s. or IGs. The low rate of pay 

 prevailing is due to the fact that girls cannot set on the macliines themselves, 

 as boys do, but require a boy, or, more usually, a man supervisor. Before the War, 

 self- feeding machines were coming into use, which would ultimately do away 

 with girl labour ; but the difficulty of getting the machines has temporarily 

 checked, this movement. 



In lithography fee<ling there is a tendency just now to employ women in 

 increased numbers and take on girls where men were employed before. The 

 work needs little training and is poorly paid, 5s. rising to 10s. or 12s., but is 

 done generally in more healthy surroundings than other processes of the trade. 



(II.) Folding and Inserting {lighter work). 



This has always been women's work and the number employed is still 

 increasing. The wage is about 17s., as compared with 30s. and upwards paid 

 to men, who do the heavier work of gathei'ing and sorting, and night work as 

 well. 



(III.) Machine-ruling. 



The number of women is increasing, largely because the setting of the pens, 

 wliich hitherto has been the chief obstacle, has become a comparatively simple 

 process since the introduction of the latest machine. Men and women do the 

 same work as minders, but the employment of women is opposed and they are 

 not admitted to the Machine Rulers' Union. The Machine Rulers' Union in 

 Manchester prohibits the employment of women both in machine minding and 

 ruling. The National Operative Printers' Union, however, accepts them as 

 minders, fixing their minimum rate at 15s., men's 36s. Women earn 15s. to 18s. 

 The War has had no marked effect on employment in this process. 



(IV.) Reading. 



For some time past there has been a tendency to substitute girls for boys 

 and it is likely to continue. The change is desirable, as the work is to some 

 extent a blind-alley occupation for quick boys, who can earn up to 18s. but get 

 no further unless they get into the newspaper trade, where, however, they 

 cannot rise beyond 32s. 6f/. In view of the fact that women are for the most 

 part employed for a period of years only in the printing trade, this substitution 

 of girls for boys is in acccrdance with the general attitude towards the employ- 

 ment of women in the trade. 



Wages for girls and boys are the same. 

 1915. p p 



