The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-08-27
THE WAGES OF WOMEN.

The wages of sin, according to the
unrevised Scriptures, is death. The
wages Of women, il We may judge from
metropolitan statistics, is very nearly
the same thing. women's labor and
woinen's wages are matters of pull lie in
terest the world over, but especially so
in the District Of Columbia, where they
perform the highest type Of that labor
and receive the highest compensation.
Departmental women receive all the way
from from 5000 to 81 600 per annum
for six hours work. They are the most
fortunate Of their sex, for in other
branches Of industry open to women
the maximum generally stops at the
smaller amount. As rule women re-
ccive in all employments from 20 to 30
per cent. less for the same work than
men. This apparen; injustice is the
effect Of the law Of supply and demand
and the preference Of men for men. In
New York good saleswomcn, for example,
to quote New York Journal, get from
Sc to $40 per week. Some few who have
served long tine receive SIa, and oc-
casionally salary as high as SIS is paid.
But the latter are very exceptional cases.
Good female cashiers obtain on the
average a little more than good sales
women, but SIS per week is large
stipend for a cashier, and it requires
guaranteed ability, the best Of referen-
ces and sometimes good security to OBJ
tain such position. The only employ
ment in which as high rs sac per week
is ever paid to woman appears to be in
the Office Of bookkeeper, and here the
average Of wages is far below $500 a
year. The majority Of good bookkeep-
ers get from $40 to 81, per week and
many women well trained in the busi-
ness think themselves fortunate il they
obtain $S. At the employment bureau
Of the Young Women's Christian Asso-
citation, whose proteges obtain, as rule,
better positions and better wages than
the subscribers to ordinary employment
agencies, SIS per week is stated as the
maxium that woman can hope for, ex-
elusive Of the functions Of teaching and
housekeeping. The superintendent Of
the bureau says II is rare that a woman
obtains more than SIS per week as a
teacher and that $500 per annum would
be regarded as very large salary. In
the position Of housekeeper 81 900 a
year is occasionally paid to an expert
enced woman, trustworthy and capable
Of assuming the entire management Of a
first.class establishment. Such instances
are very exceptional and cannot be CON-
manded by inexperienced women, how
ever well trained theoretically. On
piecework in artificial flower manufac-
ture and occupations approximating to
the artistic, it Is stated that wages as high
as $IS are occasionally earned by first
class hands, but in ordinary industries
from So to SIs per week represents the
average earnings of women in occupa-
tions requiring some training, and from
| s. to So are common wages in the lower
industrial walks. Those who wish to
know what men earn in the metropolis
may add 40 to 30 per cent. to the above
rates, although there are some branches
named that men cannot follow and in
which women enjoy the monopoly
For those who are in Government en-
ploy and receive approximate salaries i
may be added that in drawing a com
parison IL must be borne in mind that
those who earn living as factory and
sales-women in New York are employed
from ten to fifteen hours day. Tn,
discrepancy is thereby greatly magni
fed. In view Of these statistics there j
no wonder that the pressure on th'
Government departments Is such tha
little time is left the heads thereof 4
transact public business. s.-Zhe Republic
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