system. In a few plants cotton was on the floor and machinery, and dust and lint filled the air.

Most of the plants did not provide seats for the workers except where they were necessary for the work. Where seats were provided, they were usually of the folding, metal type. In several instances good posture chairs were furnished; in some plants boxes and stools with no backs were used.

Although in a few plants the toilet and washing facilities were deficient and in poor condition, generally they were clean. One new plant provided shower baths. Four of the plants had dressing rooms and private lockers for the women.

Lunch rooms were not seen in any of the plants. Two hours for lunch were generally allowed.

First-aid and medical facilities varied from first-aid cabinets for taking care of minor injuries in small workplaces to well-equipped clinics in large factories. A number of the plants provided medical services; a few included members of the family in the service.

Four companies required preemployment examinations.

Six of the establishments visited had nurseries or had installed cribs for young babies in dressing rooms.

The women workers in the majority of the plants made a very nice appearance; in some establishments they wore uniforms, dark blue or white, furnished by the companies.

Some managers complained of absenteeism, but the women in one plant, at least, said they were not absent when there was work for them. The manager of a woolen mill, in an interior city, which employed Indians and mestizos, said a number of the workers (men and women) left periodically to work on their small farms for several weeks and then returned to their jobs. There was a fairly high rate of turn-over among the women, but on the other hand there were women with employment records of from 8 to 35 years with the same company.

Individual Plant Descriptions

Large and small work establishments, employing from 300 to 4 women, were visited.

One of the plants employing the largest number of women-300— was a woolen mill in an interior city. Here the women were sorting wool in an outside shed and were tending the winding and spinning machines, but they were not working at the weaving looms. The men and women worked in their traditional Indian dress: the women wore long full skirts, blouses, bright-colored shawls, and straw or

Five low-cost restaurants had been established-three in Lima, cne in Callao, and one in Oroya-for the purpose of providing nutritious food for workers at low cost. See p. 35.

felt hats below which their hair hung in two braids; the men wore homespun suits, ponchos, and hats.

In this plant there was a well-equipped first-aid room, and two physicians (one for the men, and one for the women and their babies) came to the factory at regular hours. Members of the workers' families were attended also. Medicines were free. A day nursery with an attendant was provided; on the day of the visit, it had the care of eight babies, who were carried in bright-colored shawls to and from the factory on their mothers' backs. The company furnished a football field and a building for social affairs, and gifts were provided at Christmas time.

A candy and ice-cream factory in Lima also employed 300 women. There were a few women supervisors in the plant, but the majority were wrapping and packaging candy by hand. The owner of the establishment started his business years ago by selling candy from a small cart on the street; plans had been made to replace the present building with a new modern factory.

A smaller candy factory was visited in Arequipa where 56 women and 3 men were employed. Some of the women had been with the company for 10 years, one ever since the plant was established. Chocolate bonbons and other candies and cooking chocolate which were made here were sold also in Lima and other parts of Peru. The women wore blue uniforms and the factory was clean. Large windows and an open patio made possible good ventilation. Medical examinations were required of all applicants for employment, and periodic examinations were given thereafter. The owner had a savings plan for each employee into which he paid a yearly bonus based on production, attendance, and so forth. Two of the women had bought houses with their money. The individual could borrow money from her account. Two weeks' annual vacation with pay were allowed. The manager reported very little absenteeism.

A leather-goods factory in Arequipa employed 270 women. Fashionable gloves, purses, luggage, leather coats, and other articles were made here. (The factory supplied the demand in the southern part of Peru for leather goods not imported during the war; goods were also shipped to Lima and other cities.) Women were cutting, sewing by machine and by hand, and were tooling picture frames and pieces of luggage. The workrooms were clean and well-lighted, and the workers wore uniforms. Sanitary facilities were good; drinking fountains were in the workrooms. Minor injuries were taken care of in the plant; all the employees were insured and any serious accidents were sent to the clinic. Two baby cribs were in the locker room which was well-ventilated and clean and had an attendant in charge.

In a shoe factory 200 women were employed, 15 of them in the office. The wife of the owner had carried responsibility for the plant. since her husband's death. The women, most of them young, worked at the various stitching machines, finished the shoes, and worked in the stockrooms. The workrooms were clean and not crowded. Although there was sufficient natural light, the lighting for close work seemed deficient, as ceiling lights were high, and there were few individual lights on the work tables and machines. There was a well-equipped first-aid room with a full-time nurse in charge. A doctor came each day and also made home visits. Preemployment and annual medical examinations were given. The legally required number of cribs for babies was in the first-aid room. The company had plans for building houses for its employees on a cooperative basis.

A factory making knitted rayon materials and garments (sweaters and lingerie) employed 200 women, 16 of them on clerical jobs, and also employed 60 women as sales clerks in several outlet shops. Most of the women in the plant were working at sewing machines; some were designing and cutting. A few were employed at the knitting machines; one of these young women handled a difficult machine very efficiently and was teaching a young man who was to work on the night shift. A young woman was in charge of the stock room.

Women in all the cotton mills visited were working at the customary jobs. A cotton mill in the southern part of Peru, unlike those of Lima, employed more women than men-150 of a total of 280 workers. Women in this textile mill, which makes a cheap grade of cotton cloth, worked at the usual jobs, including the weaving looms, and were paid the same rate as men. Although the plant was old, it was equipped with a ventilation system to remove lint from the air. A doctor came 1 day a week to the plant, was on call at all times, and attended the workers' families also. The workers had a mutual benefit society of about 40 members which gave assistance in case of illness and death. The plant and the workers' small houses (owned by the company) had been built by the side of a narrow river which made a long, green valley in the surrounding desert, although there were no trees or grass around the houses. The factory was built on the side of a hill, and the workrooms were on different levels. Power was taken from the river which flows through a deep gorge below the plant.

Of the other cotton mills visited, two had attractive nurseries with attendants to take care of young babies. In several mills there were sports clubs, managed by the workers-football fields for the men, basketball courts for men and women, volleyball courts for women.

One club had a small building with a room for meetings and parties and with dressing rooms for men and women.

Women formed a high proportion of the workers in the garment factories visited. In an overall factory 140 of the 150 employees were women. In another factory making men's shirts and pajamas, practically all the work was done by the 100 women employed. Several had been with this company for 35 years. They worked at the sewing machines, pressed the finished articles, inspected, marked, and packed them. The workrooms were clean, and the ventilation good except in the basement where some of the work was done. The sewing machines did not have individual lights, necessary on cloudy days. The outlet, or retail store, for this factory was in an adjoining section of the building.

Two of the small shops visited were particularly interesting. One was a knitting shop which belonged to a company owning a large spinning and knitting mill. Cotton jersey material, men's and children's underwear, and sport shirts were made; and very attractive clothes for little children, designed by the young woman who was also the manager, were made out of remnants. The 24 women employees worked at the weaving machines, at cutting, and at making the garments. The shop was spotlessly clean and had good light and air and individual lights where necessary. The women wore aprons in the warmer months and smocks in the winter; aprons and smocks were furnished by the company. Average earnings were fairly high.

In a small retail shop visited, the sweaters sold were made in a workroom on the second floor of the house adjoining the sales shop. The woman who owned this small business took turns with young women employees on the three Swiss, hand-propelled knitting machines. The finishing was done by hand. The owner's daughter managed the sales shop. Both places were clean and the workroom comfortable.

The pharmaceutical plant visited employed 124 women and 78 men. The women filled and sealed the glass ampoules, and labeled, stamped, and packed them. The plant was spotlessly clean and modern in every respect. The women wore white uniforms and caps, furnished and laundered by the company. Attractive dressing rooms were at the entrance to the plant, and purses could be kept in special lockers. The company made loans to the employees without interest, in cases of need. This plant also had a football field and basketball courts for the workers.

The plant making metal caps for bottles, tin containers for oil and medicines, and decorative tin plate had curtailed production at the