The times., 1899-07-20


the sQualid and disorderly surroundings.
Lastly. there are the houses built espe-
cially for women workers. AS early as
1875 the need for such houses was noted.
Soon afterward Lady Mary Fielding rented
two blocks of buildings intended for arti-
sans, adapting them to the requirements
of ladies paying Is Cd (62 cents) and Is
! CSD a room. with Sd Q2 cents extra for
service. The receipts from this venture
more than covered her expenses and the
/ demand far exceeded the supply.
/ There are various houses in Chelsea.
/ hensington, Earls Court, and other places
/ where it is possible for women to live for
! l2s Cd t$S.12) or other sums up to DDS $3.50
But these houses are all full, even though
the degree of comfort offered is very lin
! tied. For instance, at A., by taking a
! cubicle at is cd Slip. and living on the
4 simplest fare provided. il is possible TO
/ exist on los Id (S3.70, including a daily
/ bath, at Id e cents. and boot cleaning at
I'D Il cent per pair. Residents supply
I their own household and table linen, and
I the lowest price for a furnished room is
! los Cd (S2.62). This building pays per
4 cent. At D, by sharing a room with
I three other women, living may be had at
! lbs 1929 week. There is no bathroom
lights are turned out at 10, and there are
such rules as that forbidding butter and
jam being taken together on one piece Of
7 bread; yet the house is over full, and ap-
plicants are turned away daily. In the
( house founded by Lady Meath there has
been no vacancy for years.
/ II is plain that there is a great want to
/ be met There ought TO be no portion of
! the community working under bitterly dis
| advantageous conditions.
Mr. Pnrkcr's Plan.
The plan proposed by Mr. Parker is a
business plan, not charitable scheme
Charity would estrange the class whose
interests We are considering; moreover in
appealing to the fnancier, one must be
able to promise satisfactory return on
/ capital A building of the better class,
I providing living for four hundred women,
could be made to pay we'll. To succeed it
must be on a scale as large as this The
restaurant plan has never worked salts
| factorily; therefore, the institution should
! be run as a private hotel for permanent
/ guests paying a weekly sum for board and
! lodging. The ideal aim would be to secure
| for the individual woman freedom and in
I dependence with only those fitting and
natural restraints customary in well-reg-
ulated hotels or boarding houses. There
should be no vexatious rules and humili-
ating restrictions.
The mansions, or whatever they may be
called, should be situated in a central part
of London, such as Westminster or
Bloomsbury, but not farther than a two
penny fare from the chief business dis
tricts. They should, if possible, be built
i'll quadrangular form, with an inner court,
and should be simple in design The sani-
tary arrangements should accord with the
latest principles. The lighting should be
by electricity. There should be eight or
ten bathrooms on each floor, and ample
Tat-. !
1 floor. OF the 400 bedrooms $50 should be
single rooms, so of a larger size, and 20
4 double rooms. Ample closets and shelving
should be provided. having nowhere to
put her things" being one of the real dis
I comforts endured by woman living in or
binary lodgings. No effort should be
spared to make the finish and furnishings
/ cheerful and tasteful. Provision should be
made for storing bicycles, and for having
/ them cleaned at contract price. Those
who might desire to economic could make
their own beds and clean their own boots,
while shilling weekly would relieve one
Of these duties, If she preferred to pay for
having them done. A professional mender
or TWO or three working dressmakers
might live in the house for the convenience
! Of tenants, and trained nurse might also
| be retained. The house would be in charge
of lady manager and a housekeeper.
/ To take up the matter of expense to ten
ants, the 70 double bedrooms should rent
! at SIS (S2.00) per week, the so large single
rooms al rs cd t$1S7), and the smaller
rooms at 5s (s1.25). Thus the majority
| would pay 5s (SL25) a week for rent, and
allowing that a tenant earned 25s (S6.25)
and required los $3.50 for clothing and
other than living expenses, she would have
los (S2.50) left for food, service etc, which
/ would be expended about as follows: Seven
breakfasts at 1-2d, Is I'D (51 cents): six
/ dinners at Sd, and Sunday dinner at I0d,
| As 10d (sL20); supper on Sunday, Cd 12
cents), leaving for baths, linen, lights, and
general service 2s 1-2d (65 cents). After
| careful enquiry from men experienced iii
the erection of great buildings, 1t appears
that per cent dividend on cost of build
| ing and furniture could be paid to share
holders. When this dividend. ground rent,
and depreciation of furniture, estimated al
10 per cent, are allowed for, there would
| still remain surplus.
Aside from considerations of financial
success. however, is the great benefit TO
/ educated working women as class. The
managers of small houses of this kind. it
| is important to say, far from resenting
competition, court it. Having had their
houses full for years, and refusing appli-
! cants daily, they realize that there is
! cloth for ALL" The lack of such homes
! Is a public need. Its recognition is a
/ public duty. We care for immigrants
coming to us. We care for our own peo-
| pie in strange land. Every woman en-
tering business life goes into new coun-
| try, to learn its language and laws as a
/ foreigner learns, and to pay for her mis-
| takes as a foreigner pays. Women have
! the right to say: You have accepted us
as fellow workers in the business of life
at last; but you pay little heed 10 our
great needs as private citizens. We can
never quite satisfy the conditions of busi-
ness life. never quite keep your laws until
( you make private existence less a burden
by giving US proper residence. The game