The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-11
CLAIMS WORKING
GIRL CAN LIVE ON
$500 PER WEEK
William C. Thorne Testifies
Before Vice Commission.
Five Cents Unac-
counted For

Chicago, March 1o.-wiliam C. Thorne,
vice president OF Montgomery, Ward &
Co., mail order house. told the vice COM
mission today that girl "adrift'' can
live on 81 a week, thus
Room rent, sS.
Breakfast coffee and rolls. 10 cents
Luncheons, 30 cents.
Dinners, 81 40.
| Car fare, so cents
Clothing and incidentals. $40
| The witness gave the foregoing state
inent to show that the commissions idea
that there should be a minimum wage
scale for women of s12 week is too high.
The figures given. he said, were the actual
expenditures of one of his 1878 female en-
ployes. Another girl employe disbursed her
wages as follows:
| Room and board, $3.50.
Laundry. % cents.
Car fare, 20 cents.
! Clothing and incdentals $3.50.
Savings, % cents.
Five Cents Unaccounted For
! The statement fails to account for a
surplus of cents, but this was not ex-
plained and Senator Beal remarked that
the girl probably spent it frivoously.
| The witnesses today, in addition to
Thorne. were James Simpson, George Lyt-
| ton, John Basch, John t. Pirie, e. J.
Lehman, Henry C. Schwab, Albert Ell
linger, all representing department. stores,
employing thousands Of girls and women.
| There were no witnesses from the under
world. The commission which expects to
pursue its work for the next two years.
adjourned till further notice, which prob
ably would be given the latter part OF
next week.
Senator JUL told Thorne that girl after
| girl had been on the stand and testified
to having gone wrong because they
could not make living otherwise.
'We want you merchants to jump in and
help us stop that sort of thing said
Senator JUL II tell you it's an awful
situation when girl after girl
"Oh, yes, but for the most part don't
believe those yarns" interrupted the wit
|
| ness.
| The earnings of Montgomery, Ward Il
Co. for the last fiscal year were s2,s70,O0O,
Thorne said, and JUL, having calculated
| that expenditures of $1,000 a year would
| raise the salaries of the s5 $6 and 81 girls
! to $40, asked the witness If he did not
think the money might be well spent in
| that way.
Spend for Benefits
But" came the reply, we are already
| spending that much in benefits old age
pensions and the like. We look after the
! welfare of our employees very closely. and
lif this commission can show us where we
! fail we'll remedy the defect. If 1t can
be shown that our girls need more money
they shall have it, although think IS Is
"a good minimum"
| Thorne said in his opinion minimum
wage scale of $l2 week for women would
drive half the factories out of Illinois
and cost half the women their jobs.
.sThe law wouldn't bother us much but
l the factories would feel It, and they would
| hire men instead of women If they had tc
pay sl2 because they can get more work
| out of the men," said he.
| The other witnesses readily gave de.
tails of their pay rolls, but they were 8
unit in declining to state the profits OF
their respective firms
1 Lieut. Gov. Barratt O'flara, chairman
! of the commission. asked II word had
been passed among members Of the
Estate street retailers association moi
to disclose profits but each witness
denied any collusion. They We're agreed
| 100 that SIS a week was about m.
right minimum on which woman cal
support herself
immortality State of Mind
~ believe immortality is state q,
mind declared Joseph Basch OF Siege
| Cooper & Co.
OF the 1850 girls employed in M,
! store. Basch thought only a small ne,
cent could be persuaded ito 60 fhs
easier way" other merchants on M
| stand said that they Thought Ethes
could raise the minimum wage witflod,
y 8 (Coutinued N Pneo TSvo1 - :. q