Finding a job around Oneonta in the spring of 1945 was just about as easy as it is in 2010 to find an available taxi in the city.
"Help Wanted" signs were everywhere. A look through The Daily Star each day from March through June found advertisements for available jobs, as well as plans several companies had for the postwar time.
The advertisements weren't the tiny print kind you'd find these days in the classified section. They were large, making open pitches to job seekers with wages and benefits.
"WANTED: GIRLS For Government Textile Work," read one large ad in the Monday, April 30, edition of the Star. "Steady Employment" "Hours 7 to 12" "1 to 5. Wage Rate ""50c Per Hour for Beginners. Rates Increase With Experience. Vacation Plan Also in Effect."
If one was interested, they could apply at the Ackshand Knitting Co. at 9 River St., or at the U.S. Employment Service.
Machine operators were needed at Scintilla Magneto Division in Sidney, while the Oneonta Linn Corp. in the West End needed skilled workers to help build Red Cross ambulances for the war effort. The former Elmore Milling Co., on lower Main Street near the viaduct, needed men for day or night shifts at the time. They boasted that one could work as much as 18 hours a week at time-and-a-half.
Stewart Ice Co., once found at 45 Valleyview St., was in a real bind. They gave notice to their customers on Wednesday, June 20, that they would no longer be able to continue delivery service, effective that day. There was no shortage of ice, but the company lacked delivery people to take ice to its customers.
The problem practically solved itself in two days. Willis Sweet, the superintendent at Stewart Ice, appeared at the Board of Public Safety meeting on Thursday, June 21.
Sweet told of how three drivers had shown up for work Wednesday. By what he termed "digging and ringing doorbells," Sweet and this minimal staff were able to "muster 12 men who promised to start work" on Friday.
Beginning in late March and throughout the month of April, The Star ran a series of features called "Oneonta Looks to the Future."
Each entry highlighted a local company and its outlook for after World War II, which turned out to be about five months away. The intention, according to editor's notes, was that "if we are to keep our young men and women in Oneonta we must have industries to employ them."
George Cursiter, president of the Oneonta Glove Co. on Market Street, said his company had been at about half staff since the war began and that once people returned home, production could jump from manufacturing 6,000 pair of gloves a week to 12,000.
"There have been so many shortages that people will rush to buy," Cursiter felt.
The Unger brothers, Charles and Meyer, operated the C&M Manufacturing Co. at 213 Chestnut St., now The Marketplace on Chestnut. They employed 200 women, making more than 3,500 junior miss dresses a week.
"After the war, we'll double our present output," Charles Unger said, "and we expect to employ 500 workers."
The Korrell Dress Co., found at 8-12 Dietz St. in the Dibble block, had just purchased the building and was in the process of moving from its plant from the Keyes Airport in the West End, near today's NYSEG headquarters. The company employed 65 women, and about 1,500 dresses were produced weekly. The company aimed to expand to 250 to 300 workers.
Coyle Manufacturing was once found at 3 Wall St. Mrs. Travilla Coyle Keen said, "Just as soon as more material is released, we plan to double the output of our factory and increase the number of our workers." They manufactured women's undergarments.
The previously mentioned Ackshand Knitting Co. produced wool gloves, mainly for the U.S. Navy. They had been at the 9 River St. location for 19 years.
Oneonta Linn Corp., where today's Commerce Plaza is near the corner of Chestnut and Oneida streets, was deep in wartime production of ambulances and airplane parts. However, it had plans to manufacture mobile display coaches for a variety of purposes. The company employed about 85 at the time but anticipated adding 25 more within the next thirty days, which was April 30, 1945.
Big changes were ahead and the jobs were there for the taking.
This weekend, a day at the bicycle races.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
