The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-23
WOMEN OF
BUSINESS
Field in Hawaii
For Those Who
Work.
CHANCES BETTER
THAN ON COAST
Some Fear That Present Oppor-
tunities Can Not Last on Ac.
count Of Competition.

What sort of a place is Honolulu for
the business girl?
This is the question that is being ask
ed continually by the Mainland friends
of Honolulu's stenographers, bookkeep-
ers, salesladies, milliners and dress
makers through the mails from the
Coast.
The reply sent is usually to the effect
that there is plenty of opportunity and
good salaries but that the living ex-
penses are almost prohibitive
/, With view to getting authoritative
light on the subject the Advertiser pro-
cured interviews yesterday frona rep
resentatives of the different classes of
feminine bread winners
Nine. Badgley of Whitney & Marsh's
dressmaking department spoke without
hesitation on the subject. There isn't
a broader or better field anywhere than
here said she, for competent work
!ers. There is a steady demand in all
lines of work for girls and women with
ability, but inferior labor is not wanted,
and l think there is very little of it
here. This is probably explainable:
nearly all the women workers in Ho-
noIulu come from the Mainland to ac-
'cept their positions, and only thorough
ly competent ones are sent for, as that
is the business policy of the employers
As TO the question of earnings, there
are no such salaries obtainable on the
Mainland anywhere as are paid here.
l recently came from Chicago. and that
city offers a fair comparison. The
wages Of sewing girls and dressmakers
here are frequently double what they
receive in that city The sewing girls
Iwho are paid S. per week in Mainland
tcities receive from SO to SIS here and
our department is paying SO to a girl
that did the same work in Chicago for
s6. There is plenty Of work to be done
and good compensation for the work
'ers, but the Honolulu public wants good
work and there is no opportunity for
inferior workers. The girls also have
less to do and shorter hours. Holidays
come with unheard-of frequency here,
{ ard l think the employers are more le-
nient 1 should say that Honolulu pre-
sents unusual opportunities for working
girls
a pretty girl at ribbon counter
measured off three yards of robin s-egg,
blue gros-grain and said: Why, yes;
l should say there was more satisfac-
ton in working in Honolulu, One gets
better pay. twice over and even If
one does have to pay it all out for hy-
ing expenses. one has the handling OF
the money! That kind of makes your
self-respect grow. don't you know, and
II TON
and spend money so freely. There is
positively no comparison in this line OF
work for girls, between San Francisco
and here San Francisco thinks 1t does
well if it pays you S. a week and lots OF
girls work their lives away for SO and
81 How they live is a mystery to ev-
terybody. even to themselves. Some of
them have homes and others exc out
la wretched, one-room, coal-oil stove
: existence, their great perplexity and
worry being how to keep presentable
Ienough in appearance to hold their po-
lsitions The employers here show a
tproper appreciation, and salaries suffi-
,cient for a comfortable and self-respecl-
ing living are paid. Besides this, ana
best of all, we are treated differently,
socially at our work. We feel that we
are assistants here, whereas In the
great, cruel systems of the San Fran
: cisco houses, ones personality is en-
itirely killed and one is only an unimpor-
t1nt cog in the machinery, scared TO
theath every minute of losing ones 1op.
4 On the Mainland one has better
chanee away from the big cities. Bet
. ter salaries are paid in the smaller cit
, les and towns and one receives more
personal consideration. but, on the
: whole, Honolulu is many degrees more
desirable in my opinion, than the
Mainland, at present, for all of us who
work. I am afraid, however, that II
isn't going to last. It's too good to be
true. and as the city gets more modern
other ways, suppose it will grind US
down like the other cities do"
Miss Killean and her smiling miilineI
assistants testified to their perfect sat
isfaction with Honolulu's opportunities
People pay good prices for their MILL
merry" said one of them, and we re-
: ceive remunerative salaries for oul
work. What if one does have to pay
more for living expenses? One always
has a comfortable sum left over.
T think the proportionate figure between
salary and expense is more in Honolulu
than on the Mainland. If one is compe-
tent there is plenty of work to be done
and one has little difficulty in securing
good position. It is quite different on
the Mainland, where perfectly compe-
tent person may have the alternative OF
) a salary insufficient to support her OF
go without employment for months a.
a time. Honolulu is all right
Mrs. Brown of the Young Women
christian Association was interviewed
!. on the subject and spoke for her large