The Washington herald., 1912-01-25
HOUSEWIVES WILL
FIGHT HIGH PRICES
Organizing in Towns to Report
Market Prices.
By JULIA cHANDLEa MANI.

On January l Mrs. Julian Heath, Of
New York, organized a Housewives
League for the purpose OF lowering the
cost of living.
Believing that It lies within the power
Of American homemakers to equalize
prices and insure a maximum quantity
and better quality in foods, as well as
10 further sanitary conditions in the
places where food products are sold. Mrs.
Heath mapped out a definite programme
for this purpose.
Men accomplish great things because
they concentrate. Women could do as
much If they wanted to. II In any one
neighborhood any ten women worked as
they could and should work stores in
that neighborlIooJ would be revolution
SEED" she told a representative OF the
New York Sun. Z.
Acting on this faith, Mrs. Heath or
Ranized the Housewives League on a
plan so simple and practical as TO in
clude women Of all classes. The active
members of the league consist only OF
housekeepers and homemakers, and the
dues are only cents a year. women
who have no occasion to buy food, but
Who are interested In the success OF the
work, may become members OF the league
by the payment OF 81 per year.
Message SpreadinE.
Printed leaflets are being circulated to
spread the message of the work. Any
member Of the league may form groups
IN any neighborhood by getting two other
members to join her. Each of these two
members get still two other members.
and so the endless chain will go on until
every woman in the country interested
IN the high cost OF food stufts will be
Tl0rFn
she will have no aim or object other than
10 work for the success of the movement
Success depends on the faithfulness
OF the members" said Mrs Heath In an
interview. ANY housekeeper who is like
ly TO join knowing exactly what work
membership entails. is not likely to shirk.
Else, why should she join?
mo bait is thrown out in the way of So
Cial gayeties or agreeable novelties. There
is no fun attached. No. / believe that
active members will try to live up TO the
three principal things asked Of them
which are that each. shall get two MEM
bers to join the organization, pay cents
dues, and do personal work, such as in
vestigating the sanitary conditions OF
stores at which they trade, quality Of the
goods sold there. and the relative prices
charged in the stores Of their particular
neighbOrhoOd-
Personal inspection Needed.
No member is expected to go out OF
her own neighborhood to make investiga-
tions. We hope before long to have
groups covering ali neighborhoods. Gov
ernment, State. and city food inspectors
are doing good work, but it goes with
out saying that an occasional visit 10 q
certain store is not going to do the work
that an every day visit from not one but
n half dozen or more women who buy
there can accomplish if they go with their
eyes wide open.
THE woman who does her marketing
by phone will naturally not join the
Housewives League The league doesn't
want that sort Of woman anyway. unless
she agrees to turn over a new leaf and
do her marketing in person"
There are some splendidly practical and
executive women in the central council, |
and the organization is fast reaching out
into new neighborhoods. 1t has already
grown rapidly, and its object of real
help toward the solution of the high cost
of living problem will recommend It to
homemakeTs everywhere.
It is only through practical orEaniza-
tiOn and faithfulness to such work that
the women OF our land who scheme and
plan daily to reduce their grocery bills |
can hope TO succeed.
It is only through a big combination of
EFFORT such as the new Housewives
League is doing, that material help can
be accomplished.