Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-12
OF WORKERS
Plea of Consumers League
for Women and Girls.
PUBLISHES LIST OF D0N'TS
Shoppers Asked to Consider Clerks
in Making Purchases-Circu-
lar Letter Issued.

Continuing it's campaign. now we'll un-
der way, in behalf of working women
and girls, not only in the District, but In
factories and tenements In many Sec
tons of the country, the Consumers
League of the District of Columbia is
today sending circular, outlining its
work and it's objects. to 1000 or more
as an appeal for their cooperation.
"Of the fifty Consumers Leagues of the
country q letter accompanying the cir
cular says, "ours is the youngest and
smallest. Yet the National Capital needs
the league quite as much as any other
large city, and to fulfill it's aims it must
have the cooperation and support of the
Intelligent shopping public The league
supplements the work of the churches,
the Associated Charities, the Monday
Evening Club the settlements and the
women's welfare branch of the National
Civic Federation, dealing as it does with
the vital problem Of hours, wages and
conditions of work for women and chill
dren.''
Dont's for Shoppers.
The circular contains list of "Don'ts
for shoppers and other consumers, which
are intended to make the life of the shop
girl and the dressmaker and the laundry
worker easier and her working hours
shorter. Here are the cautions:
Don't shop after ) o'clock in the after
noon.
Don't shop on Saturday afternoons.
Don't leave your Christmas shopping
until the week before Christmas
Don't neglect to ask for goods bearing
the Consumers League label when pur-
chasing lingerie. shirt waists, petticoats.
kimOnos, MILDLY blouses, maids caps and
aprons. etc.
Don't be discouraged when your demand
is met by the Indifference of clerks.
Don't give rush orders to tailors, dress
makers and milliners.
Don't neglect to join the league and to
persuade your friends to join 1t.
Objects of the League.
The circular presents the work of the
Consumers League in a series of ques-
tons and answers. Here are some of
them:
What is consumers league?
AN associa ton of buyers Tor consumers)
who take an intelligent and humane in
terest in the conditions under which the
articles which they buy are made and
sold.
How can a shopper be sure that an ar
ticle is made under good conditions?
The National Consumers League puts
label upon goods made by manufac-
turerS VINO meet its requirements.
Why does the league require that no
work shall be done outside the factories?
Because tenement or Sweatshop labor
means-to the worker-(a) unlimited
hours of work, OBJ the lowest possible
wage, and (c) the labor of little chill
dren; to the consumer-the danger of
buying garments made in filthy homes
and by diseased workers.
Necessary in Washington.
But does this evil system of home
work prevail in Washington. where there
are no tenements?
No; but the articles which are sold in
the Washington stores are made in New
York and other industrial cities. There
fore a consumers league is as necessary
here as elsewhere.
What is the Washington league doing
to help working girls in the District?
The league is working now to establish
white list of retail stores according to
certain standard requirements for selling
conditions.
The league also advocates legislation
in protection of the working women in
the District, which now has no laws, as
have all the progressive states OF the
Union, regulating the hours and condf-
tons of labor for women.