Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-25
SH OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
BILL REPORTED TO REGULATE
THE EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES.

In his report on the bill to regulate the
operation of employment agencies in the
District. which was recently favorabiy re-
ported by the House District committee.
Representative Taylor of Ohio the author
OF the measure. makes some caustic COM
ments on the system 1t now exists. Mr..
Taylor says that the bill Is intended to cure
evils which have become prevalent In the
operation of these agencies In the District.
The same evils he says. exist in other
large cities, and have been the object Of
careful research and investigation In an eff
fort to eliminate them. At present there
exists no law in the District covering this
class Of business, and investigation has
proven to the committees satisfaction that
these regulations are not sufficient to do
away with certain grave evils that now
exist
The principal object of the measure, ac-
cording to the report. is to provide that
all persons in the business of conducting
employment agencies be reliable. honest
and subject TO the regulations prescribed;
that persons seeking employment be prop
erfy protected; that persons seeking help
or servants have some guarantee that they
Will obtain competent, honest and reliable
employees through the employment agencies
OF the District
TT has developed" says Mr.. Taylor.
that there are quite a number of agencies
and some of which are not They have nc
responsibilities and responsible to no
one for their actions. They keep no books
nor records, and frequently give no re-
ceptS for fees either to the servants seek
ing employment or to the employer seek
ing servant"
The bill as reported by the District COM
mittee, provides for publicity in the records
of these agencies, for proper receipts both
to employer and to employe, and for re-
turn of the fees paid If proper service is
not rendered by the agent. 1t also pro-
vides punishment for violations of the pro-
visions of the bill.
The necessity for the pending legislation
was brought to the attention of the Dis
trict committee by a number of women
members of the Education Association. the
Home Interest Club, the Association OF
Collegiate Alumnae and the Council of Jew
ish Women. They have conducted investi-
cations into the conditions existing in
Washington and have presented the results
Of these inquiries to the District commit
tee. Moreover, these women have dealt
personally with the servant problem, as
most of them are heads of families and en-
ployers of servants. Their Investigations
prove that many of the troubles arising to
the housekeepers are the results of the in
competency and responsibility OF agents
to whom they must turn in obtaining serv-
ants for their homes They FOUND also
that the servants were not protected, that
it was apparent that many young girls
were annually led astray as result OF the
immortality of the business methods of some
of the so-caIled employment agencies.
Some of the agents conduct lodging houses
and in several cases cited they have found
girls who have come to Washington with
little money, who have been boarded at the
so-called agencies. held there so long as
their money lasted by promise that en-
ployment would be obtained; but when 1t
was all gone into the pocket Of the lodging
house keeper, posing as an employment
agent they were turned adrift to shift for
themselves.