The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-25

An attempt Is to be made in Chicago to
acknowledgement Of hiring female servants,
Ofwhich the Tribune Of that city says: ut
Is gratifying to state that the long.Contem.
plated reform Is about 10 be tried by
some Of the most prominent ladies in tho
community, who have the nerve and the
determination to lead. They have tho co.
operation Of the leading employment
agency here, to which, indeed, they are
indebted for practical suggestions which
the propose to put into practice. In talk.
ing with the lady who manages this
agency, yesterday, a reporter got the out.
lines OF her plan. One Of the chief faults
OF the present system Is the glarinR In.
equality In wages. There are families OF
three in this city who pay their girls s.
week, and again there are families Of seven
who pAy g 90 q week for precisely the
same service. There have been well au.
thenticated cases, again, where ladies have
employed girls at So a week, and, having
found them pheuomenally good ones, have
raised them TO 81 week, when girl In
the next house, doing precisely tho same
work, was getting much less. The result
can easily be imagined, The low.priced
servant, hearing olthis-ior they hear OF
everything that happens-natnrally be.
comes .demoralized, and particularly SO
when her employer fails to grant the dc.
sired raise. 1t would be vastly better,
where an employer experiences any such
attack Of magnanimity, 10 wait until the
end OF the year, or some given time, and
reward the girl with present-in money
or some equally propef-thus avoiding the
demoraliLing effect upon the girls IN her
block, which flows from the present in.
equality In wages. Better than this
would be combination between employ.
ens to pay uniform rates, and right here Is
one OF the uniform measures at present
contemplated.
There Is no reason why the wives OF
our business men should not employ their
J help OF the same common sense business
principle as their husbands employ their
clerks. Instead OF saying, as now, 'IIow
much do you wantP the now departure
program will BIO something like this: III
pay you 80 much, and, II you wish 10, you
can core When II is remembered that
the one agency alluded to has supplied
places for at least twenty thousand girls
within the past FIVE years, It will 10 readi.
y seen that tho supply Is always in ad.
vance Of the demand. ltmay DO deficient in
quality, but that Is tho result, largely, OF
the present system. The scale OF wages TO
DC adopted under the new plan will most
likely be something Of this sort: In iami.
lies which entertain largely ArBl.class
cook may be said to DO worth 81 week.
In private families $ a week Is a fair aver.
age price for general work. In small fam.
liles Of three or four, whete the ladies OF
the house assist or superlntend, 81 80 Is
reasonable pay. General assistants should
be put on S. 30 or s., whore they now
get 81 Tor doing nothing except an i'm.
mensc amount Of standing around.
"But the reform movement has moro
than one phase to It, The syStem OF week.
" payments Is altogether wrong. Under
1t girls have been known not untrequently
to work aweek, earn enough to buy 4
party rig and then c0olly Inform their |
mattresses that they propose TO mutt then
and there. The new system proposes
monthly payments. Under It contracts
between employer and employe Wlll b0 |
made, In black and white, al 90 much a
month-and $l2 Is a fair average Tate-I
with the stipulation that each pSrty la IA n
giye the other a weeks notice in case
eltner desires TO make change. Thecon.
tt aga aug Ihe wages account will DO kent In
little blank book. Then, when III! ON:
ploye does leave, the employer shall give
net = tns.Scsool.a,ineGdatlon, provided she has
rendered suitable service, that Win point
out her specific excellenceS, and not Ia AZ
vague, general and utterly worthless a.
the GyeHge9 recommendation now 4, The
employe takes the book, With thls record
Of her service, and II becomes a pasSpoft
70 another place. The reform system viii
shut down on the present vicious and dan.
night keys, and will REQUIRE them "a Ia
housed and In bed at reasonable hour.
Another requirement will DO that giFl
shall remain in her place until another
supplies y, or forfeit ut least a weeks
wSges In case she refuses and leaves.
Il