In fact the woman with a baby or little children is in the minority, but I thought it only right to provide for them--for a number of reasons--" "Including sympathy ?" smiled one of the ladies.
Mary gave her a grateful glance.
"We will now have an inspection of our real work here," she said, "-- the same being the manufacture of bearings." The first room they entered was the ground floor of one of the buildings which housed the automatic department.

At the nearer machines were long lines of women stamping out the metal discs which held the balls and rollers in their places.
"When these machines were operated by men," said Mary, "it required considerable strength to throw the levers.

But by a very simple improvement we changed the machines so that the lightest touch on the handle is sufficient to do the work.

We also put backs on the stools--and elbow rests--and racks for the feet--" They followed her glances to each of these changes but their attention soon turned to the business-like speed and precision with which each woman did her work.
"Women, of course, are naturally quick," said Mary as though reading their thoughts.

"You know what they can do on a typewriter, for instance--or on a sewing machine.