The record-union., 1896-01-01
WOMEN RECEIVE POOR PAY.
Employers Give Them About Half
What Men Would Demand.
A Good Bookkeeper Was offered SO a
Week to Do $1e-a-Week
Mans Work.


mangle. that life was a demnition
grind, he voiced the sentiments of hun
dreds of young women of to-day, who
start out hopefully to hunt work and
after numberless Efforts and rebuffs
become utterly discouraged in the re-
alization that employers, while de-
manding intelligent service in work of
responsibility, offer in exchange a
weekly stipend barely sufficient to pay
the laundress bill. The fact that the
applicant for work is a woman seems to
more for her work than would serve
man for car fare and luncheon"
Such was the plaint of young
woman who had been employed as
bookkeeper in a mercantile firm for
several years and who recently found
herself without work, owing to the fail
ure of the firm, says the New York Sun.
She told this story of her experience in
trying to find work:
Il answered all the advertisements
for bookkeepers and stenographers
that I found in the papers, and re-
ceived several answers requesting me to
call / selected the most attractive
address named. When 1 told my err
rand 1 was ushered into an Office where
a man, evidently about 30 years of age,
awaited me. After surveying me leis-
ureiy he requested me to be seated.
What's your name and where do
you liver he asked. These questions
seemed a bit unnecessary, as he had
my letter of application in his haud,
which he studied after bestowing his
first stare upon me.
Do you live with your people?' was
the next question.
No. 1 replied, Z have a room in
the house of a friend
'Umph!' he said. why don't you
live with your people?' To this replied
as meekly as possible that unfortunate
ly | hadn't any. Whereupon he
grunted and frowned as though the
fact of being an orphan was not to my
credit
Where have you worked before?'
was his next question. For Stocks &
Bonds. Ell? Never heard of them. Why
did you leave them?' 1 explained that
it was owing to the failure of the firm.
Then he went into inquiries about my
capabilities.
Can you really keep a set of books?'
he asked. 7 mean to keep them with
out assistance? Understand double en-
try? Can you post from cash book to
ledger? Can you take off trial bal
ance? Are you accurate at figures? Ever
handle cash for the firm? When / had
answered all these questions in the af
f1rmative he looked me over again and
then to my astonishment broke out
with 'Hows your health? You look well
enough, but want to be sure that we
can depend upon you being here all
day every day. Internal nuisance to
have clerk stay away on account of
Illness
II assured him of my good health and
commenced to feel that the catechism
had been satisfactory and was about to
ask what salary he would pay when
he interrupted me to say that, as the
place 1 wanted to fill was one of trust,
he would require a cash bond of some
few thousand dollars. This rather dazed
me. 1 knew no one l could ask to sign
bond for me, but / told him I would
try to secure it. Then came the Ques-
ton of salary.
"'Oh, that will be all right Five to
eight dollars, according to your merits,
was his offer.
For that sum 1 was expected t. 3.
my whole. day and the experience of
years, taking entire charge of the book
keeping and cash accounts of the firm.
An employer reSentS a shabby dress
worn by a female clerk, but does not
take into consideration that to enable
her to dress neatly she must have a
little over the amount necessary to pay
her living expenses from week to week.
From this place / went to the Office
Of another firm. These people wanted
an assistant bookkkeeper, who would
also attend to the correspondence, tax
ing dictation in shorthand. They did
not ask for a cash bond, but were quite
as particular in their questions as to
the number of years experience in bus
fT1n off r tao1 AZ
anxious about references. These two
matters being settled satisfactorily,
they consented to give me a trial and
asked If would go to work immediate
ly. Considering it would be best to go
into the question of salary first l asked
what they would pay.
Well, said the partner, who had
acted as spokesman, fitting his head
and looking first at one companion and
then the other, what do you say to 81
a week. The partners nodded appro-
val. SO he repeated '$4 week
Il answered that 1 was looking for
work which would make me at least
disappearing, not for pastime or pin
money. The spokesman seemed dis
II essed at my expression and with his
shoulders lifted and palms extended,
said
" But 81 a week is good, and if you
stay we will raise it after three
months.
''The discussion ended there because I
left the room. Although discouraged. /
determined to try one more address
which had. This lead me to a foundry
situated near the East River. in a
neighborhood given up to factories, to
reach which involved a walk of blocks.
ankle deep in mud, where the pave
ments, If there ever had been any, had
given way under the wheels of the
heavy trucks moving there all day long.
/ finally found the place was looking
for-an office back of foundry-and
was met by a German. I handed him
the letter I had received, and he pro-
ceeded with the usual examination.
prefacing his remarks by asking me if 1
could spell correctly. / was not in a
pleasant mood by this time and with
the consciousness that my walk there
had ruined the skirt of my gown and
caked my boots with mud until their
redemption seemed hopeless, came
Immediately to the point was most in
terested in, and asked him what wages
p