The Detroit times., 1913-03-08

The probors TO-DAY requested tn,
county coroner's Ofice to furnish then
with List ot women who haNe com
mitted suicide because they were un
able 10 obtain employment
'Pespondent women. worn out by
toll In shops and stores, see no other
end than suicide" said I.ieut.-Govern
or o Hara. Il want these facts brought
before the public"
Before the session opened today
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT O'Hara made a
personal plea 10 the millionaire EN-
ployers waiting 10 testify. Ia aid the
STATE IN obtaining the passage OF a
law fixing the minimum wage for wo-
meW at sl222 Several OF them pro-
missed 10 do an they could. 2
Edward nillman, former bundle
hoy, and nov a. the head Of big
State-st department store, was the
-itFst-Ni t4+.-s&-eal allied The first Ques-
tion put 10 Hillrnau concerned the re
latlon between the low wage scale
for girls and prostitution.
"a do not know what the exact re
lation is, he answered slowly, but
do believe that girls sell themselves
rather than starve Hillman's com
pany employees S1l women and girls.
The average wage, he testified. is
$50 week. TWenty-three girls re-
ceiye $3.50. 81 or s., and others hold
Ing positions below the saleswomen
get So a week.
Most OF the $3.50 girls are employ
ed he said, at the request OF their
parents.
AS an employer OF girls, | feel a
moral responsibility, said Hiiiman
we have social workers and a wo
man doctor 10 visit the girls and seq
that they are in good health Ii one
OF our $3.50 girls should yield hel
virtue might be- reproached by my
conscience. But IL she lived AZ home
| might regard ii as an accident %
business"
Hillman said that he had discharg
ed immoral hoorwalkers for mis-
treating girls. The names of thes,
fioorwalkers he said are listed ant
, hey cannot obtain employment in any
Chicago department store.
Hillman says that he looked afte
promotions and that no worthy cir
could be held down because one o
her superiors in the store did not lik'
her He cited the case of one girl
who. he said, began work nine years
ago for his company at 81 a week ant
Is now paid s27 week
Is il true that girls are blackliste(
at all the big Chicago stores If the!
offend anyone OF their employers?
asked the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THAT is not true" responded the
witness
While Hillman was on the stand
James Simpson. vice-president OF Mar
shall Field 4 Co, who yesterday re
fused 10 reveal the profits of tina
mammoth corporation. told the prob
ers that they could have access 10 th'
company's books. but that he woulC
resist any attempt to give publicity
to those figures.
Simpsons statement elected warn
thanks from the acknowledgements.
This investigation was made pub
lie to make "A sentiment for the en-
women said he
But the stock of Marshall.F1eld Il
privately owned" answered Simpson
the public does not own our corpora
ton
Personally, | do not want any In
formation that cannot be given to tn
public" said the lieutenant-governor
but | shall leave that 10 the commits
sion"
Iillman. who was questioned cor
corning the profits OF his company
took the same ground as Simpson
He declined to answer and asked tn
probers not 10 press him until the.
had decided what TO do with the Mar
shall Field refusal