The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-03-09

noticed in the course of taking their
addresses from time to time as they
change their places Of employment,
that the people of doubtful character
seem to all, eventually, get to the
same place Of abode
Perils of Workers.
Il cannot begin to enumerate the
different things which need attention
that have come before my notice dur
ing the past year. Girls have come to
the office crying and saying that the
women they worked for insisted on
their having improper relations with
the boarders. Others that they could
no longer stand the insults of their
employer. These people are all in
business and calling for new help.
Another thing which seems deplor-
able to me, is the large number Of
very young and suspicious looking
girls who claim to have gotten all
their experience as mattresses in
Chinese restaurants, and some Of
them have told how they regretted
starting in these kind of places, as
it gave a girl bad name to say she
had worked there, and kept her from
getting work in more respectable
places.
Petty Thefts.
Then there is surprising amount
of petty thieving going on among our
younger domestics, which could
promptly be stopped, if properly
handled. Only rarely, of course, has
any single case reported to me been
of sufficient amount to warrant ar
rest, but it is the little things allowed
to grow that finally lead to a girls
downfall and subsequent Disgrace
People getting one position from us
almost invariably come back to US
for their next position, 80 that it is
an easy matter to keep track Of them.
We make it rule to request the ap-
plicant to report to us whether she
accepts the position she goes to see
or not, and if not, why, 50 that we
quickly learn the character Of the
place calling for help.
ENTIRELY too little attention has
been paid to employment offices as
possible sources of danger. The first
thing a strange girl does, upon COM
ing to town in quest of work, is to
buy paper and look up the employ
ment offices. The destiny of that girl,
then is in the hands of the one who
is going to find her work. Often she
has no very definite ideas of her own
and doesn't care much, and there is
where the worst danger lies. She will
go to any place that is made attrac-
tive to her. The case of the two girls,
who last fall took employment tickets
from one Of our local offices, and
found themselves in a disreputable
place in Superior, is only one ex-
ample. These girls were both home
less, one a little sub-normal mentally;
hotel work at that time was very
scarce. and they had engaged them
selves to go back before they realized
what kind of place they were in.
1t was only when the landlady took
the older one aside and told her that
one Of her duties would be to sell
beer, that they saw the danger and
they claimed it took some strategy
for them to get out.
No Possible Excuse.
There was no possible excuse in
this case as the address of the place
would have told any business person
these and many others are specific
| cases, the proof Of which anyone can
have, who is so inclined, by coming
! to the office.
| '"Thes6 things have deeply con-
cerned me for months past and after
carefully studying it I have come to
the conclusion that one of the reasons
we have so much vice to contend with
is because it is made so easily pos
sible for girls to go wrong, and it
! seems to me as though We could do
a great deal by using more preventive
| measures and cutting off the avenues
Of vice, as far as we posi- bly, can.
1--WE are confronted daily with
cases that need outside attention. If
it is case for the Associated Chair
ties or the humane officer We have
the remedy close at hand. but out
side of that there seems 10 be no one
to whom to 20.
I'm face of the terrible things that
are being unearthed by the intelli-