The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-12
WHY SERVANT PAY rs GOING Up.
Bank Accounts . Factor in the Problem
Societies Encouraging Them.

The servant girls bank book Ia an I'M
expected factor in the higher wages the
girls are demanding. The idea has grown
up recently In immigrant girls societies,
with the object Of keeping some overnight
OF servants earnings. All the societies
In State street have taken to keeping SER
wants bank books. And these houses
know how much the girls are earning, and
their motto is: Get More" In proof OF
that, minimum wage Of sl2 a month Is
fixed by all but one or two societies.
II you want Swedish girl who knows
no English, or any other thing American.
SIP is the lowest wage at which you can get
her. This supervision Of the immigrant
girls finances has gone to the extent Of
letting her make her deposits by proxy.
She cannot get to the bank in her working
hours. 80 she sends the money by mail to
the immigrant pastors, missionaries and
matrons, who deposit her savings for her
At the Leo house for German immigrants
at State street. Pastor Urban {. Nagel-
eisen and the sisters have nineteen books
of servants, each OF which shows deposits OF
hundreds OF dollars. Miss Matthews, the
missionary at the Protestant Girls Home
at No. 8, has sixteen servants bank books.
She started four more aocounts yesterday.
One Finnish girl sent her Si2o recently,
another $40. another 500. One book has
seven years savings.
Pastor Nageleisen has the bank book OF
Hungarian servant, with 81, 100 credited,
all earned by doing Homework. The girl.
he says, is not able to write her own name.
The other books average about $500 apiece.
One of the girls has deposited her money
in three different banks. 40 she won't lose
it all If one bank goes under.
Under the societies encouragement the
girls save rapidly-one girl having laid away
$40 in four months.
1.-The Belgians are fine savers" said
Pastor Nageleisen. THE remark has been
been built by servant girls through direct
donations, but especially in bazaars and
fairs. One Of our girls, Anna Stroemel by
name, sends money quarterly TO her orother
in Russia to educate him for the priesthood.
and is now sending him through the semi
nary, though now she pays only for his
clothes. When the girls visit us on Sun
days they generally leave at that time
what money they want us to deposit Tor
them"
Pastor Nageleisen says that his society
is one OF those that really aims TO reduce
wages, in view Of the inexperience OF immi.
grant girls. But immigrant servant girls
wages have gone up, and their help Is
harder to obtain, since the immigrant 80,
cieties have virtually become financial
clearing houses for servants. Bank ac-
counts once started by them, there is an
Instructive ambition to see them grow.
Low wages can't start the books, they
are told by some Of the missionaries. These
houses are even made the executors OF
servant girls wills.
"Some girls have life insurance, and
they never 90 out Of doors unless they
carry the card OF our house bearing the di-
rection: II anything happens to me please
notify Miss Matthews, State street said
that official I'VE take charge Of their
money when they die and send it abroad
to their heirs. Even now we are attending
to the transfer OF some insurance from Rus
sia on one Of our girls who died. 30 that
her little boy uptown may have 1t. One OF
our pastors will be his guardian
William C. Sturges. president OF the
Seaman's Savings Bank Of "a Wall street,
said in an interview:
Deposits Of servants wages depend
largely on the encouragement they get
from employers. When they once see the
interest accrue without any effort OF theirs,
and the account grow, it is an incentive
to continue at work. ! had waitress
whom we induced to save her money. When
she accumulated q, 600 she got independent
and set I'D for herself"