Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-07
DESCRIBES LABOR
TO ASSIST GIRLS
Miss Maud Younger, Suffragette,
Attends Session of State
Federation of Labor
ACTIVITY IN SETTLEMENTS
Former Society Woman of San
Francisco Tells of Work
in New York
ACTIVITY IN SETTLEMENTS

Miss Maud Younger, former society
woman of San Francisco, but now an
organizer of unions among working
women, an enthusiastic suffragette and
q believer in Socialism, is participant
in the convention of the State Fedora
ton of Labor now being held here.
She tells an interesting story of her
work in New York city, where she be-
gan her efforts in behalf Of women who
have to make their own way in life.
The work undertaken in New York
city by Miss Younger and her associ-
ates is fiourishing now. 1t has at
tracted the attention of such women as
Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont Miss Anne
Morgan and others, and they are aid
ing literally In discussing her work
Miss Younger said yesterday:
my interest was aroused when I at
tended school back east, ten years
ago, and for seven years l worked
among the poor as a member of one of
those east side New York settlements
While in this settlement 1 learned just
what the lot of the poor working girls
is by working with them side by
side.
WORKED AS a WAITRESS
For a while I worked as a waitress
and that experience clearly showed me
that the only hope for these girls, the
only way to keep them from becoming
victims of the white slave trade, to
get their wages increased and this step
in their betterment, 1 quickly saw,
could only be reached through a
union.
Having arrived at this conclusion,
/ worked hard in helping organize the
Woman's Trade Union league of New
York city, which has bettered the
working girls conditions in that city
so much. This work has been taken
up by many wealthy women of that
CITY now, among them being Mrs. Q.
H. P Belmont and Miss Anne Morgan,
who are delving deep into their private
purses and through their influence
are getting many other wealthy women
to assist financially in bettering the
condition of girls who have to labor
for living"
Speaking of the laboring girls con-
dition in her home city, San Francisco,
Miss Younger gave glowing account
of the progress in the last ten years.
She said:
Ten years ago, when there was no
woman's union in San Francisco, girls
were working in the laundries sixteen
and seventeen hours day and seven
days in the week, many of them sleep
ing in the laundries close by their
work. Clubs did nothing to help them
then, nor did public opinion. expressed
through the newspapers, aid materially
in bettering their condition.
cat that time the mattresses worked
twelve and fourteen hours day, and
seven days in the week. for So.
"What a difference the unions have
wrought in that situation since. Now
the laundry girls have a ten-hour day
and get one day week for pleasure
the Mattresses work the same hours
and also get a day for pleasure, but
instead of getting IS they now draw
$40 each week.
Besides the betterment of the
wages and the hours, the working
girls of San Francisco now have clubs
to go to, they have physician to at
tend them when ailing and there are
many other improvements in their con-
dition that has been wrought by their
organization into a union.
HOPE FOR HIGHER WAGES
ONIONS are the only hope for
women. 1t is to unions they have to
look for higher wages, and their
higher wages will keep them from be-
coming white slaves. l only wish that
! had time to stay in Los Angeles and
help better the condition of the labor |
ing girls here.
Il don't know much about conditions
here, but 1 understand the working
girls are getting on nicely. If they
will stand true to their unions and
remember that trade unions are doing
more for the progress and betterment
of humanity than anything else, I
know they viii have many days of
happiness"
Miss Younger when the labor con-
vention closes the latter part of the
week, will depart for the east. En-
route she will visit Milwaukee, where
she will study the present Socialistic
governments