Evening star., 1915-06-27
UNION FORMED BY GOVERNMENT
employees DOES RELIEF WORK AT HOME
GIRLS

NN1HILE thousands Of women all
WV over the country are engaged
in European relief work.
band of $50 working girls is doing
some good relief work right here in
Washington.
These young women who are doing
so much to relieve suffering and want
among the needy are members of the
Girls Union. branch of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor the members
all being employees of the bureau of
engraving and printing.
Among some Of the important things
they have accomplished recently has
been the securing of raise of 30 cents
per day for the press girls at the bu-
reau and the raising of sufficient
money to send several of their mem
bers. girls broken down in health. to
sana toriumS to recuperate.
Miss Anna Rapaport, who has been
employed at the bureau of engraving
and printing for eight years and who
is member of the executive committee
OF the Girls Union and one of its for
mer presidents enthusiastically out
lined the benefits derived by the girls
result of membership in this or
ganization.
Il think that the women who are de
voting their time to foreign relief
the starving ones across the water are
doing splendid and noble deeds for
which they ought to be highly COM
mended," she said, earnestly The
women who are identified with the
peace movement also arouse nv ad-
nliration. There are so many fine Or
ganiZations, made up of women who
give their time and money to such
worthy causes that l sometimes wish
that | might join them. But nv money
is limited and my time is all taken up
with my regular duties at the bureau
| am employed in the wetting division.
Nithln the past few months we have
sent two of our members to private
sanatorlums. Both of these girls were
aff1lcted with tuberculosis We raised
1920 IN collections for one of the girls
and s2'3 for the other The first girl
We sent away had to remain at the
sahatorlum for four months A num-
Der OF institutions of this kind have
given us a special rate for our mem
pefS' Whlch amounts to about Sl2 n
week. and this is decidedly reasonable
we had enough money left over from
the 1uhd donated in that girrs behalf
~ pioside her with necessities at her
i,olhu, where she was sent after leav-
ihs the sanatorium, in addition to keen
ing her there for the four months Wa
SUN nave something like Sl4 remain
ing.
me other girl was just sent awav a
udss ago. Her case was quite Il
pieiiui one. She approached our direc-
toi ana asked him If he could assign
iiel 70 easier work, asking to be taken
away from the rather heavy machine
Moi IN which she was engaged The
oiieeto', who always has the interests
VI the girls at heart, looked at her
plhched face with its poor color, and
detlded that she wasn't able to handle
any sort Of work in her present condi-
uon SO he Immediately notified us,
ana that was the first we knew of her
illness. We promptly proceeded to take
up collection, and all the girls were
very generous in their contributions
MI Ralph, the director, allowed us the
use OF his own carriage to convey the
sick girl to the station, thus saving
our society the price of taxi fare
I'VE girls haven't very much money
with which to carry on extensive phil
anthropic work. and some among us
are widows with children to support.
However, as our membership is rather
large, small donations from each in
indiv vidual makes pretty fair sum. Also,
We feel that girls employed by the
government receive better wages than
those employed elsewhere, and that we
are therefore better able TO give small
amounts of money when they are re-
quired by needy ones among u.s.
Miss Rapaport said that the organi-
Zation to which she devotes consider
able time started in rather
unique fashion. The timidty of some
of the girls at the bureau regarding