The Sentinel=record., 1914-07-12

London, July 1.-The recent meet. ing between Prime Minister Asquith and the women representing Sylvia Pankhursts East End Suffrage Club IS unique in English history for nev- CT before have women workers of the lowest social class told their wage grievances to so high a parsonage. The average wage of women throughout the country, Mrs. Julia Scurr told the Prime Minister, is but seven shilings week. Many wo- men, she said, supported children and 1 parents on this, although the immi- grafton board has held that a woman | cannot live in London on less than | l1 shillings and six pense a week. To | small wages and the severity of the struggle was attributed the large number of suicides among married working women of the city. Mrs. Scurr said the poor law attached harsh and humiliating terms to the relief given and was thoroughly hat ed by the indigent
 In justifying the demand of the working women for suffrage, the del egates told the Prime Minister that there did not seem to be any other way of making their wrongs known to the public. Women are still sent to prison for inability to pay their taxes, and few of those who suffer from drunken and brutal husbands can afford the luxury of a divorce.
 One of the suffragists, Mrs. Hughes, opened her argument by laying on the Premier's table a brush that retails at ten shilings.
 For my share in making that, l get two pense," said Mrs. Hughes.
 Her pay, she explained, was two pence for filling two hundred holes with bristles, and her husband got two pence half-penny for finishing the brush. To support her home re- quired fourteen hours work a day.
 Another delegate said she was rear ing a family of six children under the age of thirteen on her husbands pay Of 25 shilings a week as a doeker.
 A pitiable story was related by a woman, who had started work in a jam factory at the age of eleven When left a widow with two chil- dren, she shared her room with young unfortunate girl whose baby had been born in the workhouse. As the widows wages could not feed them all the' girl drowned herself and the baby in the Thames.
 MT Asquith in reply said that it would be perhaps difficult to get sub stantial and intelligent reform in the East End unless the women them selves had voice in choosing the members of Parliament But their problem was such that it could not be solved by any short cut. He prom ised to consider their case fully.
 Although the Premier treated the delegates as non-militants and at tackled militancy, the East London Federation, which they represented. has never repudiated militaney. Nor have the delegates
 
 The last court of the season at Buckingham Palace appears to have been a disappointment to many who attended in the expectation that Mary BlOmfield's precedent in interrupting the previous court by a suffragette demonstration would be followed up at the next court With more excite ment. The occasion brought out al- most everybody entitled to tickets. One guest who found amusement in the precaution taken, said,
 Everybody, even the male guests, had to run the gauntlet of inspection and one lady was told she must leave her fan in the cloak room as it was so massive in the handle that it might be used as a weapon. Several people said their boquets were peered into, and one middle aged dame who came in rather old-faghiOnedly wide