Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-07
WORK IN LAUNDR|ES
Arguments Against Shortening
Hours of Labor.
c. F. Sewers GIVES VIEWS
Two Employees Also Make State
ments-Stirring Debate of Al
legged Vicious Legislation.

At a hearing this morning before the
committee on labor of the House of Rep
resentative c. T.. Sewers, laundry man
ager. spoke in opposition to an eight
hour work day for woman wage-earners,
in the course of his remarks saying
vicious laws enacted for Washington are
having the effect of driving business to
other cities.
Elaboration of his views in advocacy
of suffrage for the District of Colum
Dla. which would enable citizens to
frame their own laws to fit their in
stitutions and conditions, included an
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT under questioning,
that prices of commodities in Wash
ington, except in the laundry business,
are VIGOROUSLY higher than anywhere
else in the nation. These opinions did
not meet the approval of a fellow
opponent of the proposed legislation.
Harry King of Kings Palace, who in
terpOSed an emphatic denial.
Mr.. Kings Statement.
Competition in Washington is so fierce,
declared Mr.. King, that prices are as
low as in any city of the east, and 80
per cent lower than in any city west of
Chicago He does not believe that bust
ness is being driven from Washington by
high prices-or through any vicious legis-
that there is no general buying of sup
plies in Baltimore or other cities by
Washington people bent on saving a
penny.
William Schley Howard of Georgia if all
the vicious laws complained of by Mr..
Sewers had not been enacted during the
last sixteen years. Apparently Mr.. Sow
ers was willing to concede the RESPONSE
bility to the republican party. Mr.. How
hot
March ALL in the vein of humor that
seized the committee room.
Coaching of witnesses, girl and
woman employe of his establishment later
brought a rebuke to Mr.. Sewers. Repre-
sentative Frank Buchanan protested, in
timating that Mr.. Sewers course con-
firmed his opinion that the witnesses
were merely mouthpieces of their en-
ployers. The chairman, William B. Will
son of Pennsylvania, directed Mr.. Sewers
to refrain. Mr.. Sewers moved his seat,
finally, upon a suggestion from Mr.. Eu-
chanan.
In the course of his testimony Mr.. Sow
ers was asked if there were any COM
plants against conditions of labor in his
establishment. His statement that he
knew of none was challenged by l.. A.
Sterne, first vice president of the Mary
land state and District of Columbia
branch of the American Federation of
Labor and secretary of the Stenogra-
piers Union. Mr.. Sterne said he was
present to make charges. and had back
of him the entire membership Of the or
ganiZation he represented.
Earlier in Mr.. Sewers testimony Mr.
Sterne had asked him regarding excessive
Temperature in the WorkroomS where the
machines are operated during the sum-
mer months. Mr.. Sewers admitted that
he had heard of complaints against his
shop, but declared that he had intended
to convey by his previous denial that
nothing of a tangible nature had ever
been put into criticism of his manner of
conducting his business.
The two laundry employees called by Mr..
Sewers as witnesses We're Loretta Lang
don, who is a clerk in one of the ten
branch offices of the concern, and Mrs.
Elizabeth Harris, mangle-machine
operator in the laundering plant. Miss
Langdon testified that certain conditions
of business made it necessary for the
holder of the position she filled to be on
the job when other workers We're going
to their work, before O'Clock, and when
they We're returning from their labors,
after 4 80 o'clock in the evening. The
work was not hard to do and Miss Lang
don said she did not mind being on duty
from 7:30 o'clock in the morning until 8
o'clock at night. To confine her labOrS to
eight hours a day would make necessary
a Shift of clerks, and probably cut down
her wages.
Finds Hours Satisfactory.
Mrs. Harris declared the conditions of
her employment entirely satisfactory,
and could not understand why seeker
after work should complain of condi-
lions of labor which they had accepted
with their eyes open. She found the
laundry work lighter than work she used
to DO on the farm from which she came
to city life. Consideration in the mat
ter of midday coffee and supper for
overtime workers shown by the en-
ployers to their employees was testified
to by the witness.
Mr.. Sewers and his two employees were
the three witnesses heard before the COM
mittee rose at noon. Adjournment was
taken until tomorrow morning at 10
o'clock.
At the opening Mr.. Sewers resumed his
testimony, interrupted by adjournment
yesterday The demands of the public
are not to be met by laundry employers
under the proposed restrictions of the
pending measure, the Peters bill. which
would limit the labor of all woman wage
earners, except in domestic occupations.
in the District of Columbia, to eight hours
a day. prohibiting overtime.