The Washington times., 1913-02-07
HOUSE COMMITTEE
DISCUSSES LAUNDRY
CONDITIONS HERE
Women Workers Deny That
They Are Forced to Work
Overtime to Finish Task.

Conditions in the laundry business in
ing at the hearing on the eight-hour day
law for women workers before the
House Committee on Labor today. For
more than two hours the probe ranged
from the construction of mangIes to the
relative problem of laundry prices in
the Capital compared to Atlanta, Balti-
more. and other cities.
The hearing was given an enlivening
touch when Harry King told the conn.,
mittee fatty. in reply to repeated asser-
ton that prices were much higher In
Washington than almost any other city
in the East. that the Capital merchants
did not charge more than in the CHIEF
cities east of the Alieghenies. and that
prices here were 50 per cent cheaper
than they are west of Chicago. =
you say Washington people go to
sAs a matter of fact they don't ex-
cept in isolated cases. Prices in Bal
timore are not cheaper. That's my
experience"
X. Sewers. manager of a local laun-
dry. who opposed the proposed eight
hour-day law because the conditions
In the laundry business with its duh
season and its busy season. would
make 1t almost impossible. OF en-
Average Eight Hours.
My employees. average an eight
hour day throughout. the year" he
said I'm the summer, when things
are dull, they are allowed to go home
rs early as O'Clock in theN afternoon
II they have no work to- do, and their
pay is not affected! In the winter
season they work -saore than eight
hours a day.. sometimes. considerably
mere, because If they did not, we
would be compelled TO work two
shifts. and 7elther' reduce wages OIL
sThe situation is this:zif the eight
hour law is-'passed. we will be COM
pelled to replace female with male
%orkers So sS,s in sng Eases @ ns,sa II do ne1 q
train and break In an extra shift oi
workers. and this would be an almost
Impossible task Laundry workers
who can worhSfor two or three hours
when they are needed according &c
the exfgencies of the work. are sim
ply not to he found. ~ RI.
II do not think the employees of m,
laundry will challenge the statemen
that they do not average more thar
eight hours day the year around. IL
fact there has never been any com
plaint from them as to hours Of worl
or on any other.cause- If We work then
overtime, W epay them
Questioning by Chairman Wilson. Con
gresham Howard, and Legislatiy,
Agent Stone. of the American Fedora
tion of Labor, brought out the fact tina
the pay rooH was cut in the summer
time when work was shack. 20 ~
Nine Hours Reasonable.
~ call nine hours a reasonable day.
work said Mr.. Sewers. in response tC
q question from Chairman Wilson. wv,
would be satisfied with a law making
the maximum limit fifty-four hours /;
week for labor, because this would en-
able us to take care of all emergencies
Members OF the committee repeatedly
stated that the eight-hour-a-day Law
was in force in other cities, and tha
laundries continued to do business, and
in reply Mr.. Sewers stated that condi
.tions in the District were entirely diff
ferent from those of any other cities o
the country. He cited conditions tha
would prevail during the coming inaug.
uration as evidence that thd laundrist
would find IL impossible to meet the con
ditions imposed by an eight-hour day
for its workers.
Miss Loretta Langdon and Mrs. Eliza.
beth Harris. two employees of Mr. Sow.
erS, one working in a branch agency
and the latter in the mangling room o.
the main plant, confirmed the testimony
of their employers as to conditions ex.
listing in his plant Mrs. Harris said the
ventilation was good, and the treatment
OF the help all that could be desired.
Employer Reprimanded.
= A sharp clash came when Mr.. Sewers
was reprfmanded by members of tbs
committee for prompting Miss Lang,
don In the answering of the COMMITTEES
queries, but the question was settled
amicably.
Miss Langdon's testimony was cen
tered upon the point that IT was neces
sary for her to be at work at O'Clock
in the morning, and remain as late as
o'clock in the evening, because OF the
~rush" and special orders that came
In. Many persons brought their laun.
dry before going TO work and called fol
it between and 6 o'clock the same eve.
ming, she said. Between these hours
she had not a great deal to do, she
stated.