The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-20


usually means low ceilings, no win
COWS and foul-smollinE air, the hud-
4 died hap Of human beings occupy
Ing o7c-half the sanitary space that
should he allotted per.person.
A sweat. shop, moreover, means long
Notwithstanding hours at wages that
breed sin and crime and dishonesty.
Ceaseless toll at starvation pay is the
sweat shop masters motto.
There are mental sweat shops where
mind IS tortured Al expense Of body. In
der this class comes the telephone Office.
I knew whereof I speak. have spent
ono week Of my life in the telephone Of
fee For four days and three nights
lived The lie Of the hello girl.
Tho telephone office does not stoop tC
The first require ment of sweat. shop. The
rooms are large, light and. We'll ventilated
Put the hours ard the wages are those OF
;he sweat shop. BY avoiding the stigma
attached to The first II ESCAPES the caIur.
r. that would he heaped upon the second
Sweat shops are usually located in the
by-vays- They shuu the observing eyes
If the curious or charitable. The tele-
phone Offices meet the passer-by boldly IN
PRINCIPAL lh0r0ughfaCes. The main office
on Bush street. IN imposing disguise Of
brick and stone deles detection a. =
sweat shop.
The master Of the telephone company
courts visitors. Some Of his slbscIl5-
crs receive written invitations 10 90
through the telephone building and OK
amin, the working Of the system. The
hul.6.r- caves nothing to be desired in
III. matter OF comfortable conveHiences,
and S.ves no opportunity for criticism.
There arr Two questions, however, which
the pleasant. official. who is taking you
through. VIII avoid He will keep you SO
interested in other things that you may
Tot think Of asking them. He will walk
you up and down the long room where
the operators sit al their boards. He will
let you listen TO them say Number
taen deity place the plug and give the
switch. lie viii tell you anything you
choose 10 ask about the intricacies OF
making a switch.
He viii take you down to the room
where Sunset. by the turn Of her hand
makes 1t possible for people hundreds OF
miles apart 10 speak to each other. He
viii explain TO you how this is accom-
Illshed. He will escort you TO the big
lunch room. where the company provides
q luncheon for the girls, and into the sit
ting room, attractive with its restful, easy
chairs
Then YOU may happen to ask these
questions: What hours do the girls
have and What pay do they receiver
II you do. TO the first Interrogation The
officer responds. oh. their hours are all
different they are coming and going ali
day To the second he says: They are
paid according TO their ability as oper-
ators-advanced as they improve"
You leave the official irnbUed with the
idea that the life of the telephone girl
must be almost as pleasant as that of the
harp players Of heaven. You haven |
found out what hours the girls have nor
what pay they receive but if you give It
q second thought you viii feel sure that
q company which seems 10 provide 50 well
Tor the comforts of its employees. doubtless
has a fair schedule Of working hours and
q just pay roll
Which TWO. things the telephone com
pany has not. These are the rocks upon
which the company founders judged from
the humanitarian standpoint The .tele-
phone company 'criminaly Overworks the
girls and shanelessly underpays. them, I
say this IN the fuIlness of a seven-days'
working knowledge among them. 1 went
into the telephone company unbiased and
without malice aforethought,
4 wave Of sympathy Tor the telephone
girl has followed in the wake of the re
cent suicides. IL was not until several
girls sought death by the poison route
that the popular feeling toward the tele-
phone gin changed. l1er cause IS beng
tnampiguzd, but, alas. neither wisely nor
Vel.
These are the main facts with which The
champions assall the company. The tcIs-
phone girls must wear either back or
blue dresses. II they wear shirt waists
they must be White. Color is tabOOed.
i ne telephone girls cannot speak TO each
other while working. They cannot say
one WORD NOR than Is absolutely leces-
EarE 10 the subscriber. They are unGe-
the constant surveillance Of the chief
operators. The spy system makes their
lives miserable.
These are the main complaints which
weU-meaGing citizens are carrying % the
company. These are the narrowing rea-
sons. coUched IL plausible phrases which
are set forth as the causes of suicide
among the telephone girls.
Small wonder that the telephone com-