Evening star., 1914-11-21

paragraph suggest that In many localf-
| ties the time has not yet arrived when
working girls can reaSonapiy De eN-
pected to defend the interests OF their
sisters on minimum wage boards. rms
measure OF industrial democracy is not
practically attainable where working
women are unorGanized. A very con
siderable amount of outside assistance
may very appropriately come from the
more fortunate members of their own
sex.
Cost of Clothes.
The efforts OF advisory boards to
ascertain the minimum cost of living
for working girls brought out many
Interesting and Instructive facts. In
the mercantile board the subcommittee
on clothing reported three estimates.
averaging S2.20. Four of the six mem
bers of the subcommittee of tho manu-
featuring board agreed upon S1.92 per
week as the proper minimum cost OF
clothing. 1t was generally recognized
that this item of expenditure is some
what higher for store girls than for
those employed in factories. In the
matter of miscellaneous expenses, such
as carfare, health, vacation, laundry.
etc, the subcommittee Of the mercan-
tile board reported a minimum cost OF
S1.Sl per week. while the subcommittee
of the manufacturing board agreed
upon S1.9O
THE task of determining the mini
mum cost of board and lodging was
considerably more difficult. This was
due mainly to two causes: FIRST. the
fact that the cheapest boarding houses
were very limited in number: and, sec
ond, the question whether all girls
may reasonably be required to live
two in a room. More than 500 board
ing and rooming houses In st. Paul
and Minneapolis were visited and care
y,,rx hy-o nf NJ
mission. OF these some nineteen or
twenty offered room and board for 81
per week or less. Only minority of
them. however, were reported to the
commission as satisfactory
THE figures most frequently sub
mitted by the 900 and odd places in
vestigated were as follows: For board
and room in same house, one person
per room, So; two persons per room,
$3.50; for board and room in different
places, one person per room, $3.50; two
persons per room, $3.50.
Some Of the members OF the mer-
camille board were Of the opinion that
sufficient accommodations for all the
$3.50 week or less in boarding houses
and for $3.50 a week or less in room
ing houses and restaurants, provided
that all were willing to live two in
room. Some of the employers contend
ed that it was reasonable to require
all girls to live In this manner. Some
of the other members main tainded that
this was not a reasonable requirement
in the case of all, for many girls are
unable to obtain suitable roommate.
while others are so opposed to this ar
rangement that they would prefer to
live in an unheated attic room, OF go
without sufficient food. .
-.. Food and Lodging. .
THE majority of the mercantile board
finally decided that an allowance of
$3.50 per week would provide good ac-
commodations for all who were will
ing to live. two in a room. and would
probably cover a sufficient number of
single room places to care for those
who had reasonable grounds for de-
clining the double room arrangement
The majority of the manufacturing
board adopted the recommendation Of
S475 per week.
The employer members of the mer-
camille board proposed that the mini
mum wage recommended be 81 per
week. They defended this proposal on
living wage for all girls living at
home, and that these constitute the
great majority. 1t is true that girl
can live at home, and pay her proper
share of the family expenses. at an
outlay of from 81 to SO less than the
same standard of living would cost her
away from home.
ITO the objection that minimum ad-
Justed to this standard would leave the
lgirls who were .adrift' insufIiciently pro-
tected. whereas the law was enacted
especially for their protection, the en-
ployers responded that the number of
girls living away from home who were
| getting less than living wages even
! now was so small that they should be
provided for otherwise than by estab-
| fishing wage so high as to cause
great hardship not only to employers,
| but to employees who would not be able
to earn the legal minimum