New-York tribune., 1906-04-18
AROUSES WOMEN'S IRE.
Mr.. Kennedys Vie1cs on S3-a-U eek
Girl Denounced at Conference.

An atmosphere of intense feeling, indicative
of the acuteness of the problem under
sideration pervaded the conference held at the
Charities Building yesterday to consider meth
DDS of housing the working girl of New York,
and into this highly charged atmosphere Paul
Kennedy nephew of w r. H Martin, of the
Trowmart Inn. home for working girls. which
will shortly be opened in Abingdon Square.
dropped bombsheI in the form of sugges-
tion that the s3-a-week girl should be left TO her
fate.
Mr.. Kennedy had been talking about the
TrowInart Inn, and had pointed out that il
would be impossible to provide for self-respect
ing working girls provided for in the
Mills hotels Women require larger rooms and
sitting rooms and a better standard through
out.
Therefore" Mr.. Kennedy concluded. "it will
be impossible for girl earning less than s.
week to live at the Trowmart Inn The cond-
ton of earning less than that is hopeless.
The only thing to do for her is to agitate for
higher wages"
And what about the girls meanwhile" asked
the c'.1irman, Miss Kate Bond.
THAT is not at all important" said Mr.. Ken
nedy.
The women gasped, but he continued, calmly:
'It is better to that the next generation
earns more than to go on doing out money to
the SS-a-week girl now 1t would be better 10
give this money to the Consumers League"
Well" persisted Miss Bond Il think we
might build a house for her while we are asi-
tatng for higher wages"
81 don't think we are willing to let the pres
ent generation go while work for the next"
said Mrs. Clarence Burns. IF while agitate
for higher wages give them decent homes
they will have some spirit TO fight for them
selves, and we shall get the higher wages all the
more quickly. At the Clara de Hrsch Home
they make $5-a-week girls out of SO ones in six
months simply by training them. With all due
respect to the Consumers League, of which
am member we talk TOO much IT is time
we did something, and there are lots of wealthy
women in New York who could easily provide
the homes we need if they wanted to-
Miss amelia Wolf said that girls who had OBJ
tanned board at the Clara dc Hirsch Home at
rates which they could pay had hettered their
condition without further assistance, as a COM
Portable home had given them strength and
courage to attend evening classes and become
skilled workers. Miss Wolf added that she
| thought the working girls themselves ought TO
! take up the matter, and she said that If some
| Of the representative women in the city would
! only back them up a prominent clergyman had
assured her of financial support.
This clergyman is said to be Bishop Greer, and
it is understood that woman OF wealth IS
| ready TO finance the undertaking in question as
! soon as it can he placed upon a satisfactory
| basis.
The discussion of this phase of the subject
! closed with suggestion from Mr.. Kennedy
which only added fuel TO the flames, that moth
| ing more be done until it can be seen how the
Trowmart Inn is going to work.
I'VE have waited long time" he said. Why
rush in now just because The Long Day has
/ been written?
But Mr.. Martin told me-" protested Miss
Bond that the Trowmart Inn would not any
| thing like meet the demand"
Mr.. Kennedy's statements about the unfit
ness of a strictly Mills Hotel for women were
! corroborated by all the speakers and also by
! Mr.. Mills himself in letter which read by
! the chairman.
Miss Bond was most anxious that something
definite and practical should result from the
meeting. but no action was taken at the time.