The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-29
EVIL EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES.
HOUSEHOLD RESEARCH WORKERS
SEEK TO SUPPRESS THEN.
New York Branch OF Interfnunlcipai 'om-
mlttee Finds Fast side Plague spots
College Feliowships for women
Who VIII Tackle Servant Problem

college FeliONships Tor "oiheh
who VIII Tackle servant problem
The intermunicipal committee on house
hold research which is working toward a
solution Of the servant problem. decided
Yesterday to establish in connection with
their work four fellowships for American
college women.
The exact income Of these fellowships
has not yet been decided upon; it will be
enough. however. to keep four young
women going while they make thorough
investigation of certain phases OF the en-
poynent problem.
The fellowship idea will be carried even
further thans this. The local branches at
Boston. Philadelphia and New York will
probably found fellowships in local col
leges ali looking toward the same pur~
pose. The New York fellowship VIII be
offered to Barnard. the Boston one either
TO Wellesley or to Radcliffe. All this was
decided at the annual conference OF the
committee held yesterday in the head
quarters of the New York branch, III East
Twenty-third street
The New York branch is just now hot and
heavy after the East Side employment
agencies. Miss Frances Keller, the gem
eral director. declared yesterday that the
conditions they have found are unspeak-
ably bad.
"The employment agency "a the back
bone of the cadet system on the East Side,
she said. "and the recruiting ground Tor
disorderly houses. The cadets live and
fatten on the immigrant girls which the
employment agencies hand over to them
THE agencies have recruiting agents IN
Bohemia. Poland. Russia and the other
countries which are sending the great
bulk OF immigrants to the United States
lust now. 1t is the business OF these people
TO rope in girls and persuade them to go TO
the United States.
"A girl who has no friends on this side
gets name and address and is instructed
10 say at Ellis Island that this person Is her
aunt, or her uncle. or her cousin. "a the case
may be. An employee Of the employment
agency. who is usually also an agent for
boarding house. gets the same name and
address.
AT Ellis Island he claims her. At the
Battery he hands her over 10 n runner of
the employment agency. This runner Is
a cadet. in nine cases out of ten He has
her Luggage sent to the boarding house.
From that time on she is his slave.
First he takes her to the boarding house;
! and then he registers her alta employment
! agency By special arrangement, the agency
refuses 10 find place for her until every
| cent she has IL owing TO the boarding house
keeper. Then at last they find her place.
That first place of employment may be
respectable. and it may be disorderly
| house. 1t all depends on the demand The
agent gets Sc or So for landing a girl in
decent employment, but disorderly houses
pay about SO. The price il sometimes as
/ high az s2j SO. you see, the agency pre-
fers the disorderly house trade.
-Of course we're after them. Commits
! sioner Heating closed out six Of them this
( week on evi dence furnished by our in
I spectors One Of them was the Hussar
/ case which attracted some attention in
/ the newspapers last Wednesday. Mr. Roth,
/ the attorney who prosecuted the case,
was assaulted next day by one of Hus-
sars men Some Of his ribs were kicked
! in and he is still in bed from his injuries.
! The police are after the assalant.
Our inspectors who go about collecting
| evidence have often been dragged bodily
| into Offices and forced to register Last
week saw two runners for rival places
! tackle a girl at the same time. One Of them
snatched her purse. ran with 1t into the
office. and refused to give 1t up until she
registered
Right now We are after one Of the big
| gest employment agents on the East Side.
| He is a Hungarian. has great deal OF
money and unlimited political pull, and
will give us a hard fight Last week he
I sent around man TO gss us now much
we'd take to quit
This man has sent hundreds Of Polish.
/ Hungarian and Bohemian immigrant glrls
/ to di-ordcrly houses. He has made small
, fortune from IT,
Not all East side employment agencies are
: bad Ten Of the good ones. at our sugges-
/ ton, have Just drawn up an agreement
which il a model They will not hire out
girl 20 an employer known TO be- immoral
and they keep a special register Of COM
plants on that score. They will not ac-
/ cept a girl who Is known to be lazy or inn
| moral They will not recommend green
| or incompetent girl for first-class wages,
| a common practice Of the leeCn agencies.
And so on Not even the hest American
| agencies have such strict rules as that.
Il have two general recommendations 10
make. In the first place the societies
which aim to help the immigrants should
! have some, sort Of cooperation The Poles,
the Jews. the Hungarians and the Bone
I mians as well as the Americans have such
societies but they ara all working separately
I Then there should be some kind OF an insu-
instructed in the dangers Of this country,
and be taught, If possible, a little about
| Homework
The Council of Jewish women has taken
stcps toward working with the intermuni-
cipal committee in the interest Of Jewish
immigrant girls.