The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-30
CONTINUED From Page One,

one of them earns SO week. You
will be making big money before
long''-with smile that was prob
ably supposed to be encouraging.
"My name is Ann Adams" l
said pointedly as ! rose to go, "and
1 will report to the foreman to-
morrow morning"
annie, is it? Well, we'll do our
best to make you like it here, An
ME.
So this was what working girl
friends of mine had told me they
sometimes had to face!
1t was twenty minutes past
seven the next morning when l
opened the door of the woman's
dressing room. 1t was little
place where a number of girls
were changing their street clothes
for working garb. They did not
seem TO care how slovenly they
looked nor how torn and ragged
their outer garments were. Under
wear showed through holes in
many cases, collars of waists were
turned in immodestly low, and
most of the girls wore old rubbers
on their feet to save their street
shoes. One of the girls, named
Nellie, came over to me.
You're a new hand, amt your"
was her greeting. well, you kin
have one of my nails to hang your
coat on. Say, that's quite a scheme
to wear your work dress under a
long coat"
well, it's a dead cinch you
amt got no fellow" laughed girl
with wan white cheeks and glisten-
ing eyes. "You wouldn't be seen
on the street in that rig IL you had.
Bet you amt got no date on the
corner for 6 o'clock tonight"
The girls filed out one by one,
leaving Nellie and me in the evil
smelling dressing room full of wo-
mems clothes hung on nails and
piled on benches and the oilcloth
covered table where we were sup
posed to eat our lunch. One puny
gas light smoked, and a sink in
the corner half-filled with black,
gluey water smelled vilely.
Here, give me your lunch"
said Nellie, as l stood holding the
newspaper-wrapped package, try
ing to choose between the floor
and the table.
She snatched up piece of cord
and tied my lunch to the rusty and
lop-sided chandelier, where / then
noticed all the other lunches were
hung.
1.-The rats can't get it there"
she explained. You'll be hungry
enough by noon to eat it yourself"
There were many more men in
this shop than girls, and We
worked with them. The cases
were wood, and were brought to
me for the final sandpapering.
The foreman kept bringing me
work faster than / could finish
each job. He encouraged me to
work fast by telling me that my
work was good. 1t was good, but
so was the work of the other
girls, and we all unconsciously
tried to keep up with our fore
man and his call boy, who kept
bringing new jobs to us on floor
drays.
A girl who earned 50 q week
on piece work was at a bench
not far forom me. There were a
number of other girls near her
who finished the work she and
five or six other expert piece !
workers began. She was a
paster, and these inexperienced"
girls were expected to complete
cases as rapidly as she smeared |
on the glue. They had to keep |
up with her of the glue would get |
too cold and dry and the lining
spoiled.
'"There don't many of the
girls ever get on piece work"
Nellie had confided to me one
lunch hour. II don't know why,
they seem to work fast and do 1t |
neatly, too, but there is always
some reason why most of us can't |
do piece work. I've tried to get |
them to let me, but they won't. |
I've been here most year now,
and I'm still getting 81 per-"
1t did not take me long to
learn the trick of making every
move of my fingers count. In al
short time / was entrusted with
and special work. Still
/ remained like Nellie, an "inex-
perienced," though in reality, ex-I
pert workwoman.
l counted my work and Nelile's
one day according to the piece
wage scale. She earned 81 that day
and l $3.50. Nellie easily averaged
$1.75 day throughout the week,
while l would probably have been
able to earn about $1.25. The
worth of our work for the week
was therefore $1,000 and $3.50.
For this work we were each paid
81.
The scheme is simple but eff
fective one. Expert workwomen, or
in Nellie's and my cases foremen
who supply material for jobs, start
work that other girls are compelled
to finish. In reality the inexperi-
enced girls work at the same rate
and accomplish as much as the ex-
perienced girls.
The owner of the shops had not
forgotten me, and he often came to