New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-13

1 -Ss"@ R0SCOCs
The PossaB Telegraph II RssA.oA.
We were suddenly introduced in the meat
hall on the last or fifth story of the general
POstoffce Department at St. MaTfin,p r..
Grand, where the chief work I'M der ~
system which has produced these results ID
performed. 1t was . magic scene. YAis
| was the Provincial gallery :" Q spacious and
lofty apartment, well lighted and ventilated.
At first it looked like a vast conoenrse of
sewing machines, all at work at tho samo
moment. The superficial space occupied bv
the instruments and staff lie 20, coo square
feet, while the space occupied by the desks
extends nearly three quarters of = mile.
From these data you can imagine The extent
81 this vast and Incompatible hail. The
number of persons employed in This one
gallery is about 70O, ct least three -5Ourths
OF them females. The whole number Of
persons employed in the whole station,
classee, and where upward of 30 $50 nes.
sages have been dealt with in q sin rls day.
VI these lou employees 500 are male roie-
| graphists, 700 female telegranhj.ss. o0D
me ssengers and the remainder eng ineern.
me ;hanics, etc. The great feature l. TIE
prominence given to female labor Less
than 800 clerks were employed in the can
trail office under the new companies INT
now the number has increased to zoo. A
more pleasing sight than these 7G0 younp
persons busily employed ON the wor L of the
nation can hardly be conceived. Ths occu
patton seems to be thoroughly congsnial to
them, and from the digniied lady snperins
tendents down to the 'sweet girl graduates
with golden hair" who can scarce SD more
than lisp their telegraphic alpha BETS, all
set IN to have been imbibed . large share Of
that enthusiasm which characteri 1es the
presiding genius of the department.
We have here female telegraph ISIS in
every stage of development from thu coy
little maiden, who fits noiselessly about
among the instruments and collect The mes
sages, and the ''sweet girl operator with
golden hair" about to take her 'degrre" in
the "art' of performing, to the fula blown
WheatstOne operator, and the cleyAr and
accomplished lady clerks in charge, who
preside over all. The cheerful and salts.
fed air which pervades the whole FINALE
consideration which has been shown
by the department for their com.
fort and accommodation. Dining, retire
ing and cloak rooms are provided, while
privacy and decOrum are amply cured by
separate entrances and exits being pro-
vided for the male and female stats. It 10
not q little amusing to watch at s p. NJ.
stream of females out OF the galleries by
one door, and the opposite streams Oh males
inward by another, for it is considered .
misdemeanOr for the members of the differ
emit stats to exchange conversation with
each other within the building.
The male clerks are employed chiefly ON
night duty, which is worked by different
relays, commencing at p. NJ and finishing
at A. M. The female clerks do tho duty
during the corresponding hours Of she day,
in sets, working eight hours DAY. or
longer, ii necessary. on oyer, time syment.
The pay of an average male clerk in this
office Is 25s week. equal to 81 so, and that
OF a female 14s to los week, and the rate
per hour for cover time" varies from I'D t.
1t need scarcely be stated that the post.
office has added largely to the number Of
employees of both sexes in Telegraph strQet
since it acquired control Of the, telo-
graphic system. The female additions
have been five to one, and for that
Mr. ScudamOre deserves well Of his
country for the very liberal encours cement
which it is we'll known he is disposed to
give to the increased employment OF female
labor in telegraphy. 1t is said the nnmber
of females employed by the POstot1ns De-
partment, in all it's Offices under / no new
system, amounts to 5000. Few Of my reads
ers will have known that the American
rouely followed by Great Britain, and als
will be impressed by the difference in the
compensation paid by the two countries,
! think the lowest salary paid in Wash.
ington 70 females is $40 per week,
and some range as high as $1,000 q
year, while the average is 500. J, will be-
seen that the hours are alss shorter in
America. A lady department cserk iE
Washington rarely works longer than from
nine to four. while her English sister is ocs
cupied, as I have shown, from eight to-
eight. But it can not be denied that the
latter has certain advantages of her own
She buys what she eats and wears at aston.
ishingly low rates, and che is rarely dis.
turbed by the cry of economy, or, SO far ~
1t seems to be the general verdict, confirmed
by my own brief observation, that tho wos
men at the railroad restaurants, at the best
hatels, at the theatres, and in the shops OF
stores. are unusually we'll behaved aud in.
telligent- The subject of female employ.
is one and Of gssss and s1S"nS i
the duty of the government to graphic
with it boldly. England is in ad.
vance of us in many respects outside of
government, where America may be said
to have taken the lead. But here yeu may
see females filling many stations occupied
by men in our country. They are clerke
in shops and in stores. They are hair
dressers in the same establishments with
men. They are often guides in the show
palaces of the nobility; thousands are arti-
sans, and as school teachers they find cvcupa-
tiOns at prices almost equal to those I,aid in
the United States. As have said, sbey arc
barkeepers everywhere, and, of cou1He, ser
wants in private houses. The characteristic
Of the average English woman who works
for herself with BRAN or hand is obedience
to her superiOrs. The growing evil with NJ,
the utter insubordination of the servant
class in the great cities, is felt here, but
only in q mild form, and this is the moro
surprising considering again tho very
marked difference between the Wages paid
tn servants in the United States and in
England. In London there are thousands
who get no pay at all from their employers.
They live by what the guests in many OF
the hotels and boarding houses may
choose to give them, This is SO at abe Cr-
teri0n, tho new massive restaurant 1t
the foot Of Regent street, which is crowded
day and night, and Is one of the fresh curl
1t is q bad system, admit. 1t
deal of disgusting begging,
and have often said / was happy IL was
not vet . practice with ne; but there ia NO
insOlence, no cOarseness, no profanity. Per
haps there is too mach Difference 10 rank
and money, as 10 the case with maDy-in-
deed, with all-in the middle class, Mnd we
know that nothing is SO contagious ~ bad
example; but it is in disagreeable contrast
to tie rudeness too common in the COR
responding class in America-Lstt.r from
Colonel for'sey.
Portland Waking Up.
A.