The women handle high explosives in the “danger buildings” for ten and a half hours in a shift, making and inserting the detonating fuses, where a slip may result in their own death and that of their comrades.  Working with T.N.T. they turn yellow—­hands and face and hair—­and risk poisoning.  They are called the “canary girls,” and if you ask why they do it they will tell you it isn’t too much to risk when men risk everything in the trenches—­and sometimes the one they cared for most is in a grave in France or on some other front, and they “carry on.”

The Prime Minister paid a tribute to munition makers in one of his speeches when he said: 

“I remember perfectly well when I was Minister of Munitions we had very dangerous work.  It involved a special alteration in one element of our shells.  We had to effect that alteration.  If we had manufactured the whole thing anew it would have involved the loss of hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition at a time when we could not afford it.  But the adaptation of the old element with a fuse is a very dangerous operation, and there were several fatal accidents.  It was all amongst the women workers in the munition factories; there was never a panic.  They stuck to their work.  They knew the peril.  They never ran away from it.”

THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

“Are our faces grave, and our eyes intent?  Is every ounce that is in us bent On the uttermost pitch of accomplishment? Though it’s long and long the day is. Ah! we know what it means if we fool or slack; —­A rifle jammed—­and one comes not back; And we never forget—­it’s for us they gave.  And so we will slave, and slave, and slave, Lest the men at the front should rue it.  Their all they gave, and their lives we’ll save, If the hardest of work can do it;—­ Though it’s long and long the day is.”

—­JohnOXENHAM.

CHAPTER VII

THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

The Ministry of Munitions has a great department devoted to the work of looking after our workers’ interests.

This department of the Ministry was established by Mr. Lloyd George.  Mr. Rowntree, whose work is so well known, was put in charge.

The health of the Munition Workers’ Committee was set up when the Ministry was established with the concurrence of the Home Secretary, “To consider and advise on questions of industrial fatigue, hours of labor, and other matters affecting the personal health and physical efficiency of workers in munition factories and work shops.”

Sir George Newman, M.D., is chairman of the committee and the two women members are Mrs. H.J.  Tennant and Miss R.E.  Squire.  Memoranda on various industrial problems have been drawn up by the committee and acted upon—­the first being on Sunday labour.