Customers at the Richfield station and Lombard and Broderick-sts gaped and gasped today. The two service station attendants were wearing lipstick and powder and inquiring in shrill voices, “Check your oil sir?”

And then, in answer to the customers’ inquiring looks, the two were explaining, “national emergency, shortage of men y’know.”

It was the first day on the job for pretty Mary Priznich, 21, and Lucille Bachman, 20. They were hired by the proprietors, Charles Starr and Frank Naso, to fill jobs vacated because of defense employment and the draft.

Mary and Lucille were having their troubles today. It’s rough to keep one’s nose from getting shiny and pumping gasoline at the same time, not that they were enjoying the work. Each windshield was polished like a mirror. Mary broke a fingernail during the morning, and her sentiments shocked one nice old lady right out of her coupe.

The girls are old hands at meeting the public. Lucille is a former cashier, while Mary was an usherette. Both will know how to handle any “fresh guys,” as they put it.

Proprietors Starr & Naso said it was too early to tell if the girls would be successful. They were optimistic, though.

Mr. Starr said, “We’ve been trying to hire men, but so many of them are at work in the shipyards or steel mills. Something had to be done, so we hired the girls.”

Mary and Lucille will work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Both are enthusiastic about doing a man’s job. They remain truly feminine, though. Their natty blue and gold uniforms they believe, are “oh—so CUTE!”

Note: Though the San Francisco News gave variant spellings of one name (“Priznick” in the photo caption, and “Priznich” in the copy), the 1942 R.L. Polk City Directory lists John, Frances, and Mary Prizmich, with residence at 1415 Thomas Ave., San Francisco. Mary’s occupation is given by the directory as “usher.”

More and more the national defense effort is reaching into San Francisco’s civil service system, directly for key workers and indirectly by reducing the numbers of available candidates for city jobs, worried officials said. today.

Three hundred employes have been plucked from city rolls by national defense already and a shortage of workers in several fields had developed, William L. Henderson, commission secretary, reported.

“Women will have to be put in jobs now held by men much sooner than expected,” Mr. Henderson commended. Among positions that may have to be opened to women are streetcar conductors, street sweepers, hospital orderlies, and playground directors.

An emergency has already been declared so that residents outside of San Francisco might be procured for vacancies as physicians, laboratory and X-ray technicians, hospital help and nurses. Because of profitable employment elsewhere, thousands of civil service eligibles have refused temporary appointments that soon may force declaration of other emergencies, Mr. Henderson said.

As an example of this situation he pointed to the delay in starting San Francisco’s $400,000 sewer construction program. The commission has been unable to procure 27 temporary engineers and technicians for this work.

A request that he permit hiring of 27 men on a permanent basis was being made to Mayor Rossi in the hopes that an offer of permanent work might result in finding sufficient applicants.