The evening times., 1896-02-12
HEART OF THE TROUBLE
Miss Wilbur Dissects the Complaints About the
Mail Bag Repair Shop.
She Finds That the Women Would Be Contented If
Placed Under Regular Salaries and Not Sub
jected to Highpressure Work

that poor people always have to work just
| as hard as they can. 1t doesn't make any
difference where they are put, they mus,
| work, work, work.
| But III you worked as hard a $ this some
| where else, don't you think you'd do bet
ter?''
| mo, don't think / would. You see,
| the hours here are not SO bad they wOald
DE if was cut at service; at 4:30 O'Clock
am through
| l had found one satisfied soul and was
about TO find others if possible. had my
notebook out and was taking M mes which
i have since decided TO withhold lest some
one might be harmed by their use and l
| was about to visit the darners when Mr. Nc
Farlan and Mr.. Cullen came up tom me.
You must not do this, Miss Eunter." said
Mr.. Cullen, and Mr.. McFarlane look ed flushed
and annoyed.
Bat I'm not doing anything. had to
wai, until O'Clock, and ! was talking to
the girls about the work"
You were skeiching and taking notes"
why, some of these women were talking
so opleasantly about the work that l wanted
TO write their names down." Laid, smil-
ing, for ! was morally certain that the end
had come TO my emplo ymcnt.
We'll, we can't allow you TO talk to any
one. You must not talk to the women al all
or we will have to stop it,
Il wish you would telephone to Major
Tyler and ask him If he objects 10 my talking
TO thein.''
THAT TELLTALE BAG.
Very well, WILL and in the meantime
you would better go TO work. II Ma Ior
Tyler had given you letter 10 McFarlane
or me we might have allowed il, but nothing
was said TO u.s."
I went hack In tho machine and Mr. Nc
Farlane hovered about the place. ! called
him TO me and asked him about the bag.
He said he would make a drawing OF IL,
which he did and brought IL TO the. Mr..
Cullen returned shortly, and | went up
to the table and asked him the result Of
his telephonng. He said the mai had
emphasized his orders and that / must not
talk TO the women and write down names.
You are from The Times, aren't your"
he said.
smiled. and lie went on TO tell me that he
recognized me as the woman from the So
ciety the first morning ] came in, but he had
not thought OF anything else until that mo-
ment. to.
Seeing that further inquiry was useless.
decided 10 give up the work. and spent
about an hour asking these officials ques-
tions. They were eager TO know If thought
the place was all right, and If had been
treated well.
Its all right but this piecework. Now
what is your honest opinion? Don't YOU
think the girls would be more hunlanely
treated If they had salnry?'
why. ! would like to see the girls on a
salary, If they would work IA ithfuliy for it,
but they would have to be watched all the
time TO keep them at work. The only way
that could be successfully done would be to
require them TO make certain number. and
it seems to me it's fairer this way, for they
get Just what they earn
Have you noticed any partiality or
fnvoritism-'' asked Mr. McFarlanc
.Only in the condemuiDg of bags: Mrs.
= had six condemned yesterday
..Oh, no, She didn't said he. quickly;
"she only had one condemned, and an
other woman had bag condemned. too
HARD TO MANAGE WOMEN.
Then they told me how hard it was to
manage the women; than all sort OF petty |
Jealousy and complaint went on all the |
time: all OF which they had to listen to and |
make nothing OF. They declared it was |
hard TO manage body of women |
like that. That one egged the other on |
to complain, and If one wanted a window |
up the other wanted il down, and so on.
We parted pleasantly, and l have the
impression that both of these men try |
their level best to manage the work well |
under the conditions in which they are |
Major Tyler. He expected me after the |
telephone message, and was ready to 20 |
into the subject with me.
We'll, Miss Hunter, have you found any |
horrOrs?"
NO. haven't. Maj. Tyler. The only |
thing l can say is that your system requires |
too much work OF the girls. They are all |
over worked. and on a great nervous strain. |
and then they appear TO be unable to make
a living"
The list of averages for the past three |
lays was brought out and showed to me
at once. to illustrate that the women were
making a living.
But these averages are not definite;
hey show only what can be done on certain
lays: they don't take into account fur
oughs and bad work"
Il honestly believe said Mai. Tyler, |
Gaming back in his chair and looking as
hougb he did, THAT these women can earn |
rom $40 up every month If they want TO. |
But the trouble with women is just this:
They have an inherent fear Of risk. They
want a sure thing always. II they knew
hat all the probabilities were that they
,ould earn $40 a month more on the piece
ystem than they could on a salary, they |
would still want the salary. IL is a
weakness of the sex-caution always-until |
hey ruin their prospects and stay poor all
heir lives. They keep their husbands
lODI IfldL way. 4uty nave 10 uedTl " |
ry."
KILLING THE WORKERS.
THAT may be, Major Tyler. but just as
ure as you live you can't keep this piece
ystem In operation without having a lot |
4 nervous wrecks on your bands. These
vOmen are killing themselves with the hard
York.
II don't believe they are. I am willing
o stand by these averages. l watch these
IL 10
now just what every fluctuatiou means.
'he girls have been stubtOru. but when they
aw that 1t wasn't going to do they braced
ID and went to work. don't say 1t is all |
he girls fault, either. think there were
thers over there who, were determined
o show that it couldn't be done"
who were they?" r:
"wen, am not in a position to say. The
lain thing is, the average has come up
nd the girls are working, at a rate that
ill insure them a good income"
Seeing that the major was determined to
tand by his figures. and not consider any
ther phase of 1t, asked him for a copy OF
is list OF highest and 10 v est averages forthe ,
ays had worked, and hegave them to me
From these figures one, would naturally
link the major was just in his conclusions |
doubt not that he is endeavoring to be Just
nd fair. But MY experience in the work
Top has convinced ME that figures have no
Jul, and that they can be made to lie.
o l hope that Investigation will go further
ian the books which are kept in Major Ty-
RS office.
TREATED THEM FAIRLY.
1 have been to the homes of some of the
omen this week and talked with them /
bout the conclusions l had formed or the
pair shop. Most OF them appeared TO be
,tisfied and to think that had treated
lem fairly and gotten at The true evil