After waiting for a while longer, Dutch finally followed Ms. Dorothea out of the warehouse.
Outside the warehouse, a large crowd of women had gathered. They were all looking around, those who knew each other were discussing in low voices, and those who didn't were standing there feeling uneasy.
Upon seeing Dutch and the others emerge from inside, the crowd immediately quieted down, and everyone looked at Dutch and the others with a mixture of apprehension and nervousness.
Looking at the expectant eyes below, Dutch felt immense pressure.
He wasn't entirely sure if these women would fight when it came time to select the quota, especially after hearing about the benefits Dutch would provide them.
However, since they had come, recruitment was naturally going to proceed.
Dutch stood to the side, waiting for Ms. Dorothea's speech. She was the representative figure of women's rights put forward by several major families and frequently appeared before the citizens, so it was best for her to preside. Of course, the main reason was that she needed to unite Dorothea with women's rights and Dutch before his recruitment, in order to gain the greatest gratitude and reputation.
She even aimed to become the spokesperson for Dutch's recruitment of female workers, to the extent that whenever ladies wanted to find work in the future, they would think of Ms. Dorothea.
In this way, once women's rights had the right to vote, Ms. Dorothea's family would be the biggest beneficiary.
"Ladies, please quiet down. I am Dorothea, and today I have gathered everyone here…"
Ms. Dorothea's speech was exceptionally passionate, thoroughly highlighting one central idea.
That was, through the efforts of Dorothea, Ann, and Ms. Alice, and with the sponsorship of the great benefactor Arthur, the four of them together had sought some benefits for their fellow women.
The core idea was the reputation of Dorothea, Ann, and Alice.
This caused these poor women, who usually paid no attention to women's rights, to immediately burst into excited cheers, shouting Ms. Dorothea's name and proclaiming the greatness of the women's rights movement. Ms. Dorothea's plan was perfectly accomplished.
"Now, please welcome our Mr. Arthur, to begin the recruitment of female workers!"
Ms. Dorothea's speech, which lasted half an hour, was finally over, and Dutch stepped forward.
"Ladies, I am Arthur. Perhaps I will be your future boss. Ms. Dorothea has just explained all the requirements, so I won't say much more. Recruitment officially begins now.
First, I'd like to ask if any of you are proficient in garment making and sewing machine techniques? If so, please come to the front."
Following Dutch's request, more than a dozen female workers, appearing to be around forty years old, squeezed out from the crowd. They nervously approached, their eyes filled with both eagerness for this job and a lack of confidence.
"You all know how to use sewing machines and make clothes?" Dutch asked the dozen or so female workers in front of him.
"I know both, Mr. Arthur. I used to work in a clothing factory, and after it closed down, I left."
"I do too, Mr. Arthur. I learned specifically from my mother and wanted to find work making clothes, but now clothing factories don't want female workers, so I…"
The dozen women eagerly stepped forward one by one, recounting their experiences and abilities, afraid that Dutch might think they were dishonest and had been fired, thus not hiring them.
In this era, there were actually plenty of female workers; by 1850, fifteen percent of women were already working, and by now, this proportion had reached at least thirty percent.
Moreover, most American women in this era still primarily stayed at home, taking care of their husbands and children, making or mending clothes to supplement the household income. Everyone knew how to sew and make clothes, which is why they dared to apply.
The reason why so few people came forward now was mainly because they didn't know how to use sewing machines, as not everyone could afford one.
Dutch looked at the dozen or so female workers in front of him with great pleasure, nodding repeatedly and reassuring them: "Very good, ladies, you have all been hired! From now on, you will train female workers for our factory, teaching them all how to use sewing machines so they can make clothes independently!
Alright, ladies, in addition to these seventeen female workers who know sewing machine techniques, I also need to recruit one hundred and thirty-three ladies who know basic garment making. There are many of you, and the number of workers I'm hiring this time is small, but rest assured, I will continue to recruit in the future, so please be patient."
"As for the recruited female workers, I will give you a salary of twenty-five dollars a month, and provide food and lodging. You will have a six-square-meter room for daily life, and if you have family, they can also move in. If your men are able-bodied, they can be hired by the factory as loaders and transporters, earning fifty dollars a month.
If your men are good shots, they can also be hired as our factory's escort gunmen. I will pay them one hundred dollars a month, and if they unfortunately die during the escort process, I will provide a personal subsidy of five hundred dollars, and other family members will be given priority for recruitment into the factory.
All recruited ladies will gather at the train station at 5 PM this afternoon. Our Ms. Ann has provided free train travel for your journey. We will depart for Valentine as soon as we are assembled, so please come as soon as possible; we will not wait for latecomers."
As soon as Dutch's words were spoken, they immediately caused a widespread uproar.
"Oh, my God! Mr. Arthur, I can! I can!"
"Oh! Mr. Arthur, you are God! Please let me come! I can sew clothes! I only need twenty dollars! I only need twenty dollars!"
"Oh, I want fifteen dollars! Fifteen dollars is enough for me! Mr. Arthur, you are truly great!"
The female workers below had already started to boil over.
It was no wonder they were boiling, because the conditions Dutch offered were indeed too good. For example, Downs' son in the game, working in the mine, without food or lodging, only earned fifty cents a day.
Thirty dollars a month, with food and lodging provided, undoubtedly meant that by entering Dutch's factory, their lives would directly upgrade from poverty to a wealthy family.
Not only would their lives be completely abundant, without having to rush around every day, but they could even work a few more years and save more money, allowing their lives to truly become prosperous.
They would truly achieve a step-by-step class leap.
And those whose men at home were good shots, or retired veterans, were all scrambling to sign up.
One hundred and thirty dollars a month for two people combined, this was practically becoming a middle-class family in one step! No one could refuse this. They would even dare to fight tooth and nail for it.
Even the crowd outside had erupted in clamor.
A man who had just seen his wife arrive rushed over furiously, immediately wanting to grab his wife and give her two hard slaps.
However, before he could act, he heard Dutch's voice and the benefits offered from inside.
The angry curses on his lips smoothly twisted.
"F*ck! You… sh*t! sh*t! My wife can! My wife can! Oh, God, my wife's garment-making skills are excellent! Please hire her!