The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1913-04-14
Human Slavery in the
East and West Alike
g 900 600 Yearly Profits In Store
Average wage Of Women
Is $500
On Says One CT The
Employers.

Employers.
CHICAGO Mar : Jul us Eo~cn-
VALID. president OF Sears. Rprhu-h x
Co. Edward + Man4d president 81
Maud,l Bros and James Simpson.
ytsg-presiaen, OF Marshall Field 4 c.
three of Oh ca2o's most prominent
merchant princes. We're The chief
witnesses before tn" Illinois Seua.t
White slave commission. VII h M.
in the la sale Ho.el today
They were summoned 70 a>siss
IT, commission in determining tn
relation Of the aase question to the
social e,H aal 10 Tho white slave
traffic. aHd the t!@Grcs they had It
fresenf lei 70 some uncomfortable
tuations during their examination
julius Rosenwald testified that
while the profits Of his COMPANY las
year amounted to 8 or. 600 and the
reserve fund % 12.ooo.poo. the aver
axe wase paid to the women en-
p'oyed was $40 and that many
received : ANA So week
Home environments. not wages he
said. VAS responsible for girls going
vrouz. and h. ventured the asser-
ton that proper home enviromenf
could he purchased for g. week
Edward +. Mandel stated thai the
average wage OF the 1.S66 female
employees of the firm is s9>S rang
iug from S. to So a week
\ woman he said. might live on
s. = week He justified the pay
Ant OF smaller sums by saving
that the girls receiving So week
lived al home. according 10 the appli-
eat;en blanks that We're filed out by
each one before she was put to work,
MandcTs schedule fer the weekly
expenses Of the working woman va
As follows
Clothing ..--...-.-.-... 81 IA
I.aundr, -...=...... =
Room rent and board .-.-.....= 4oa
Car fare Ct
Lunches ca
Doctors and dentists --..-.-=...--- g.
Church expenses ........z.--.... 10
James Simpson stated on behalf
ef Marshell Field 4 co. that the
average wage of the 4223 female
employees of that firm is $1c.76
CT which 40 are receiving less thar
8 week for part Of their tim
and 213 are receiving s.
The opinions OF these three men,
Who together employ nearly 11o6e
women differed widely as TO the
effect of the low wages on morality.
Julius Rosonwald stoutly held te
his statement that low wages had
nothing to do with ii. Mandel took
the same tack in the beginning until
he was induced TO estimate wo-
mans expenses, which he fixed at
So week. Simpson declared IS
week was necessary for a woman
TO take proper care or herself. and
both Simpson and Mandel agreed that
if woman were not paid an AIDE
quate wage the chance against her
remaining good woman would be
exceedingly sim.
The testimony of the three mef
chants was one side of the picture
Eleanor Benson. a former employee
only
of Sears, Roebuck & Co. said that
three-eighths of the women working
for the great mail order concern were
above reproach. She said she could
not answer for the rest.
Another girl told of a professional
solder in the establishment. of a
TAX of ten cents week for drinking
water because that furnished by the
firm was unfit for use. There were
tales of abusive foremen and fore
women and of poverty among the
employees that led the girls work
ing there to share their clothes be-
cause all had not sufficient for
their needs
The afternoon session closed with
hapless parade of unfortunate wo-
men. aged from 81 to SO, who one
and all told the same story of their
downfall-pitiful tales of miserable
wages that did not meet their needs
and so led to the first step toward
an evil life