Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1913 — TEXTILE WORKERS SCARCE [ARTICLE]

TEXTILE WORKERS SCARCE

Mill Girls at Lancashire and Yorkshire Dislike to Wear Clogs and Shawls of Factory. London.—There is a great dearth of operatives for the cotton and woolen mils of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The cause of this is the growing dislike o? girls to appear in the immemorial dress of the factory girl —clogs and shawls. The “Lancashire lassies” point to their sisters who work at the shops or in the office, although at a much lower wage, who are able to wear costumes, brightly trimmed hats and gloves and shoes. The work of the mill girls discourages any attempt at smart or even neat appearance. The wearing of clogs Instead of shoes and shawls instead of hats causes the mill girls to be humbled in the eyes of other girls whose occupation permits them to dress more attractively, although they earn only a few shillings weekly es against the >5 or more earned by the despised and rejected factory operative. The mill managers have met to discuss how mill work for girls could be made more attractive, for it Is undoubted that If the girls renounce the factories nothing remains but te import forelgL labor. One manager

said that the girls in his mill had dropped shawls and clogs and were going to work in flower laden hate and dogskin gloves.