The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-04-27

partment of Commerce and Labor, and
way. Every hello girl In the country
will be busy trying to find out just what
the Commissioner has said about her.
| Only a few OF them are aware that he
| had dlssected and analyzed them in
| report 200 or 300 pages long for the
instruction of the United States Senate,
| but these few have served notice that
they will insist on seeing in cold type
! just what he has found out about them.
The commissioner has left little for
the hello girl to find out about her.
self
Look here, Cora" exclaimed one
of the Washington telephone girls who
had got hold of an abstract of the re-
port "He says we gotta have a calm,
clear eye and steady gaze. know
gotta clear eye, dear, but am calm?
Go on, am I, really? Hello, Hello.
Been waiting five minutes? WE'LL
can't help that; wires busy. And
good appetite and healthy, rosy COM
plexion. What you think of that,
Cora? Say, honest, always wondered
how got the job so easy. But look
at this passage about the companies
handin' us men escorts to take us home
nights. That must be a government
joke; honest, 1t must be, doncha think
so?"
Complaints from hello girls that they
had to walk up too many flights of
stairs to their work was chiefly respon-
sible for starting the Commissioner on
his investigation. He finds that the
telephone girls as a whole have no
ground for complaint on this score. He
nails them right down on this PROPOSE
tion, giving the exact number that
have to climb stairs and the actual eff.
fort that is expended. Says the Com
missioner:
of the seventy-three exchanges re-
ported upon by the agents Of the bu-
reau 1t was found that thirty-three.
which were located above the first
foor were not provided with elevators.
or these exchanges fifteen were located
on the second floor requiring the
climbing of one flight of stairs: ten
on the third floor, requiring the climb
ing of three flights of stairs. The max
imum number Of operators affected by
such lack of elevators, therefore, being
required to climb one fight of stairs
was 60; those required to climb two
flights of stairs 10S, while rs found 1t
necessary to climb three flights ot
stairs"
The Commissioner finds that there ia
no use Of short girls trying to become
telephone operators.
None of the companies employ
short girls; they want girls that can
reach," he said. "The girl who is un-
der five feet hasn't any show"
The Commissioner finds that YER,
Few OF the companies take girls with
out first subjecting them to a physi-
cal examination. In some cities the
girls object to this, but these will be
surprised to learn that they were ex-
amined without knowing It.
In one city where the girls inter-
viewed said that no physical examina-
tlon or test had been made" says the
Commissioner, at was ascertained that
the applicants are interviewed by a wo-
man whose exact height is known. and
In talking to the applicants can BY
comparing the level of the eyes with
her own tell within fraction of an
inch the height Of the girl with
whom she is talking. Experts in Ger
lines interviewed the e:,;rfcants ann
ascertained their exact physical cond.-
ton"
Some Of the companies, besides rc-
quiring of their candidates a calm, clear
eye, good appetite and rosy COM
plexion, demand that they shall have
steady hand and firm set jaw; also
that they shall not be easily excitable.
OF 6152 applicants the Commissioner
found that 1929 were unable to qualify
544 being too small, So too old. 4S6 too
young, II refusing to work on Jewish
holidays; 6 declining to be vaccinated
and 1863 being lacking in personal an
pearance.
average working life at the switch
board is only three years. He finds
that in no other industry IN the United
States are so great precautions taken
to insure the health of the employees
He has discovered that in the good oil 4
summer time the hello girls, that is
the few Of them that are sick, suffer
from digestive complaints, probably
too much ice cream and candy.
The girls of many exchanges ger
their luncheons right in the company's
Office. "Hygienic luncheons," the COM
panies call them, and they say that
these luncheons prevent the afternoon
"dulness and headaches" that raise
hob with the service when the peak
OF the load' is reached. By the way,
any Senator who reads Mr.. Neil's re-
port will be qualified to talk telephone
with the Oldest hello girl in existence
Peak of the load" "side reach" "up-
reach" Jacks" and split trick" are
only few Of the expressions that 90
H..