Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-01
QUEER "PHILANTHRoPY."
The Ste,Cart WOn,en's Home tn Ne,c York
Charges the Working Girls More for
Their Board Than Their Wages AMOUNT
New York Evening Post.

Charges the Working GtFkS More for
Their Board Than Their Wages AMOUNT
To.
New York Evening Post.
When Mr.. A. T. Stewards hotel for work
ing women was begun, it was generally I'M
derstood that the immense amount of money
expended in the large building was in some
sense gift to the working women of New
York, who would be boarded in the estab-
ishment for sum sufficient to cover the
outlay incurred in keeping the hotel in
comfortable and respectable way. In other |
words, it would be an immense cooperative |
sort of house keeping in splendid build
ing, for which no rent would be demanded. |
1t was hoped that with these great advan-
tages to start with, the actual cost to each
girl would be much lower than she would be
obliged to pay for comfortable accommoda-
ions in a private boarding house. At the
same time it was understood that certain
vouchers as to responsibility would be re-
quired from each applicant for admission,
and that some restrictions as to hours, and
SO forth, would be enforced, all of which is
generally acknowledged as perfectly proper.
It was, therefore, with great deal of inter
est that the regulations governing the
Women's hotel were read, and the only rule
which has occasioned much comment is that
fixing the rate of pay for board and lodging
at Sc week. In addition to this there will
also be a charge for washing. With view
to ascertaining exactly what class of women
would be able to pay this sum for their
weekly board, and also to finding what is the
amount which respectable shop girls and
others have to pay in private boarding
houses, reporter of the Erening Post
called at some of the leading dry-goods
shops of Sixth avenue and on Broadway. At
Macy's establishment the impress
sion had gained ground that
the Stewart hotel was mainly
intended for women who had seen better
days, and were accustomed to more luxuri-
GUS made of living than they could command
4 girls employed at this shop in the busy
week, besides the extra expenses for washing,
ETC., and still be able to save enough from
their salaries to clothe themselves respect
ably, and to pay their car fares and other
every day expenses. The salaries paid here
range from ST. SO week to the 'cash-g girls
to $15 and 1913 a week to the heads of de-
partments. Taking the whole list the aver
age salary paid is about So week. About
the same wages are paid at Altman's and at
O'Neil's, the millinery shop. On Broadway
the wages paid to the sales-women in such
first-class shops as Arnold & Constable's, A.
I. Stewards McCreery's, and Lord g. Tay-
!. lor's, arc little higher than on Sixth
4 Avenue, and better class of girls are en-
pIoyed. In more prosperous times fail
!, salary for an experienced sales-woman in the
cloak and suit department at Lord & Taylor's
had been $15 week; now for the same work
d 8 to $12 are paid. In the millinery and sewing
departments, where the women are not re
J. quired to dress in any but the plainest way
: the wages are much lower. The average sun
paid to working girls in these department!
: is now as low as from SIS to Sc. The women
who work in the manufactures at making
T. mems clothes, at sewing, are paid less thar
I. shop girls, and usually according to tn
amount of work done. A capable woman
a, can make 81 week working for the Broad
way clothing houses. At Stewards retail
= shop the average wages paid to the work
= women, who are entitled to the benefits O
! the Women's hotel, and who may be expect
ed to be able to pay SIG week, are teachers
IS, artists, and experienced telegraph operators
e. At the Western Union telegraph company
\. offices the reporter was told that operators 9
q fair ability when first engaged were paid q
! the rate of Sc week. No information we
4 obtained as to what the most capable Of II
l. women received. Mr.. Henry Clair, who,
is understood, will have charge of tt
US Women's hotel, told the reporter that it W.
!. the intention of Mrs. Stewart particularly I
J assist those women who had seen better da.
r and could not obtain the least comfort
life for the salaries they were receivin
k Teachers, cashiers in shops and Offices, tel
o. g1aph operators and artists were special
mentioned.
m From one of the retail dry-goods deaie
ID on Broadway, the reporter learned that t
" comparative high rate of board to be charg
). at the new hotel was something of disa
S pointment to many shop girls, who b
sh, hoped that the establishment was particuls
J. " intended for the class of women employ
in Mr.. Stewards shop. When full the "
me mans hotel will accommodate about o
pa thousand persons. The reporter was
md formed that many applications for adm
sion had been already received, although
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