Norwich bulletin., 1913-03-11
Men Will Get
 Women's Places
IF A MINIMUM WAGE OF S4e Is ESTABLISHED.
MEN BETTER WORKERS
Chicago Employer Says They Will Do Mere Work Than Wemen-Tsstfs merry Before the Vice Committee.

Chicago. March 1o.-wfHam c. eThorne, president of Montgomery Ward & Co., mail order house, told the vice commission today that girl "adr1ft'' can live on SS a week thus: room rent $500 Breal lzfast (coffee and relIs) ... 40 L1ihcheonS -..-'. .-----'.....-. .8O D1nners .--... ..-...-...---..-. 1.40 Clothing and incidentaIs 1.70
 One Girl Saves 25 Gents Week.
 The witness gave the foregoing state ment to show that the commissions idea there there should be minimum wage scale for wenen of SIP a week was too high. The figures given, he said were the actual expenditures of one of his 1878 female employees. An other girl eKnploye disbursed her wages as follows.
 Room and board ....,.. S350 Laundry .--.---...-. 20 Clothing and incidentals ...... Sso Savings ........ ......~.. 26
 No Underworld Witnesses.
 The statement fails to account for a surplus of five cents, but this was not explained, and Senator BealI remarked that the girI probably spent 1t friv- elously
 The witnesses today in addition to Thorne, were James Simpson, George Lytton, Joseph Basoh, John Basch, John T. Pirie, D. J. Lehman, Henry c. Schwab, Albert EllingeT, all represent ing department stores employing thou sands of girls and women. There were no witnesses from the underworld. The commission, which expects to puhsue it's work for the next two years, ad- journed until further notice which probably will be within the latter part of next week. Senator JuuI told Thorne that girl after girl had been on the stand and testified to having "gone wrong" because they could not make 8 living otherwise.
 Doesn't Believe Girls "Yarns."
 We want you merchaits to jump in and help us stop that sort of thing said Senator Juul. T tell you it's an awful situation when girl after girl
 "Oh yes; but for the most part 2 don't believe those yarns" interrupted the witness.
 The earnings of Montgomery, Ward & Go. for the last fiscal year were 2,370, ,060 Thorne said, and JuuL hay ing calculated that the expenditure of $75,0o0 a year would raise the salaries of the i've six and seven dollar girls to ten dollars. asked if witness did not think the money might be we'll spent in that way.
 SIP Wage WilI Drive Factories from
 'fBut,'' came the reply, Eve are sI- ready spending that much in bene2ftss old age pensions and the like. We look after the welfare of our employees very EIGS6Iy, anu II COE1IDASE1On can show us where wo fail, we'll remedy the defect. If it can be shown that our girls need more money, they shah have it, although I think $s is a good min mum"
 Thorne said that in his opinion a minimum wage scale of $12 a week for women would drive half the factories out of Illinois and cost half the women their jobs,
 Would Hire Men Instead of Women.
 ."The Jaw wouldn't bother us much. but the factories would feel it and they would hire men instead of women if they had to pay s13. because they can get more work out of the men said he.
 The other witnesses readily gave de- tails of their payrolIs, but they were a unit in declining to state profits of their respective firms.
 $s the Right Minimum.
 Lieutenant Governor Barratt O'Hara- chairman of the commission, asked if word had been passed among members of the State Street Retailers assocaa- ton not to disclose profits, but each denied any collusion. They were agreed, too. that $S was about the right minimum on which a wcGnan can support herself.