The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-08
SHIRT WAIST GIRL
TURNSLAUNDRESS
Revised Price List Forces Her to
Use the Flat Iron.
CAN'T STAND THE INCREASE
MUST DO HER OWN WASHING OR
WEAR PALMER CLOTHES.

The Salt Lake damsel who revels in
fancy shirt waists and dainty lingerie.
has troubles of her own. 1t is all on
account of those. horrid laundry bills
that come around with such incessant
regularity.
1t is not the frequency of the bills
that she objects to, for, of course, no
girl can think of wearing a shirt waist
more than two days without having it
laundered; but it is the advance in
prices for this laundering that is caus-
ing her to weep salt tears over blistered
fingers acquired as the result of eco
norical streaks that cause her to
tackle the tub and ironing board in
the secluSion of the kitchen, just to
show the iaundrieS that they haven't a
monopoly on the scrub board. Alack,
these laundries. they are Saising the
prices on most ali these fancy garments
that women so enjoy, and thereby
hangs tale of Woe
Girls Turn Laundress.
Its a shame" say the fair ones.
These laundries are just making the
prices awfully high, and it looks just
as if they didn't want our work, ana
We're using that method to shut US out
of the 1aundries. Oh, dear; for we
can't get washerWomen to do our shirt
waists half decently, either. It's just
horrid. If we buy a plain waist for
$1.25, and send it toSthe laundry, they
charge us at least 80 cents for washing
1t. And, of course, We have TO have
them washed because, even by stretch
ing it, we can't wear a white waist
more than two days without having 1t
Numbered. And there it is, in a few
q was than a.
new waist does. Now isn't that really
awful? What are we to do? 1 tell you
the prices have gotten so that lots OF
girls are burning their fingers and
making blisters on their hands doing
up their OWN waists"
Truly the lot of the shirt waist girl
is a hard one. And she has a griey-
ance. especially against the Troy laun-
dry, which has made considerable Al :
vance in prices on waists and the like
Say Prices Are Boosted.
Now here is the Troy laundry list -
said one of the shirt waist girls. 1T
says shirt waists, 10 cents and up. But
1 tell you it is mostly up. When we
send a waist to the laundry It is never
less than 80 cents. That is decidedly
UP, and now cents more has been
added. 1t looks to US as if the laun-
dries were trying to shut us out all
tOgether-and I have heard that that S
just the case, too. 1 don't think it's
fair, either. You men can get your
collars done for 3 cents, and we have 10
pay cents
The shirt waist girls think this is the
worst kind of class distinction, Aad
they have taken occasion to tell the
laundrymen SO, too. In fact, some Of
the laundrymen say they have actually
been called a ''horrid old thing" But
the laundrymen has another side Of
the story to>tell-
at is not my fault" says he, but
it is Dame Fashion and her whimsical
fancies. She's responsible for it, but
we get the kicks"
1T is true" said a representative Of
the Troy laundry, that we have had
to advance the prices in some kinds OF
feminine apparel a few cents, but with
US it was a case of have to do IL 10
meet expenses. The only fair way that
we can regulate the charge for work is
to time the employees, and see just how
long it requires TO do up the various
pieces. We have to pay the employees
by their time, and, of course, We nave
to charge according to the time that
various pieces require.
Laundryman Blames Dame Fashion.
Now, when Dame Fashion says that
women must wear waists Of heavy ma
terial it takes longer to iron and dry
heavy cloth than a, light one, and the
charge must be greater to meet the
expenses. And there are thousand
and one other things that must be
taken into consideration. In fact, you
get into a rather complicated subject
when you tackle female apparel in re-
lation to laundry bills.
Now, these girls insist on following
fashion and wearing waists that would
make a. rainbow look pale. They have
fiounces and frills, and they have lace
and ruffles and other lingerie that
would take an expert to tell about.
These hounces and ruffies, and all that
fancy work require time to get proper
" laundered, and we have TO charge
more for the work As for US wanting
TO shut the women out and get rid OF
their work, that is preposterous- We
are not that anxious to get rid of them
I fact, the more fiounces and tucks the
more we desire the work.