The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-03-11
HOW GIRLS LIVE
ON So PER WEEK
Chicago Merchant Gives Tables
Of Expenses.
VICE COMMISSION PROBE
Says Minimum Wage Of $12 Wouid
Drive Factories Out Of illinois and
Deprive Girls Of Positions.

Drive FACTORIES OuI OF tiiHoiS auo
Deprive Girls of Positions.
: Chicago, March IL. = William @
Thorne, vice president of Montgom
cry, Ward & Co., mail order house
told the vice commission that a girl
"adrift" can live on So a week.
He gave two sets of figures account
ing for the total salaries of two girls
and showed in just what manner and
for what purposes it was spent. In
one case the girl rented a room and
took her meals out, having daily
carfare expense. In the other instance
the girl lived at boarding house and
managed to save 25 cents a week. In
the latter instance the sum Of five
cents was unaccounted for and an II
vestigator said that probably she hat
spent it frivolously.
Mr.. Thorne gave the foregoing
statement to show that the commits
sion's idea that there should be min
imum wage scale for women of $12 q
week is too high. The figures given,
u6 Sdlu, WSIS IuS dCtua1 SAPVAuASuAS ~
of two Of his 1878 female employees.
The witnesses in addition to Thorne
were James Simpson, George Lytton,
Joseph Basch, John T. Pirie, e; ].
Lehman, Henry C. Schwab. Albert
Ellinger, all representing department
stores employing thousands of girls
and women. There were no witnesses
from the under world.
Senator JUL told Thorne that girl
after girl had been on the stand and
testified to having gone wrong" be
cause they could not make living
otherwise.
1--WE want you merchants to jump
in and help us stop that sort of thing,
said Senator Juul 81 tell you it's an
awful situation when girl after girl"
ooh, yes, but for the most part,
don't believe those yarns" interrupt
ed Thorne.
The earnings of Montgomery, Ward
& Co. for the last fiscal year were ST.
$4,000, Thorne said, and JUL, having
calculated that the expenditure OF
$4,000 year would raise the salaries
of the S., Sc and 81 girls to $40, asked
the witness if he did not think the
money might be well spent in that
way.
'But," came the reply, I'VE sare al
ready spending that much In benefits,
old age pensions and the like. We
look after the welfare Of our employees
very closely, and Il this COMMISSION
can show us where we fail, wen rem
edy the defect. If it can be shown
that our girls need more money they
shall have it, although think $8 IL q
good minimum"
Thorne said that in his opinion q
minimum wage scale of $12 a week for
women would drive half the factories
out of Illinois and cost half the women
their jobs.
'The law wouldn't bother us much,
but the factories would feel it, and
they would hire men instead of wo-
men if they had to pay $12., because
they can get more work out of the
men," said he.
The other witnesses readily gave
details of their payrolls, but they
were a unit in declining to state the
profits Of their respective firms.
Lieutenant Governor Barratt O'Hara.
chairman of the commission, asked II
word had been passed among mem
bers of the State Street Retailers as
sociation not to disclose profits, but
each witness denied any collision.
They were agreed, too, that So was
about the right minimum on which a
woman can support herself.
Mr.. Basch, vice president of Siegel,
Cooper & Co., did not view the wage
system with any alarm.
A minimum wage scale, he said, is
a national question. Asked If Siegel
Cooper & Co. could pay a minimum
wage scale of $12, Basch said that
they could for skilled services, but
not for unskilled.
Mr.. Basch pointed out that an in
crease of the minimum wage meant an
increase all along the line. The girls
already getting s12 must be advanced
to SIS; the SIS girl to $40, and SO on.
Employees must be paid according to
their comparative abilities.
Mr.. Basch said that wages and i'm
morality had no relation.
IT believe that immortality is state
of mind" he said. 81 believe our girls
are moral. 1 think very small per
centage o. them could be persuaded
to take the easiest way"