The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-12-04

provided.
The entire plant is being arranged
Tor steam heating system.
The managing secretary of the Sum-
ter Chamber of Commerce was phoned
Tor few days ago to go down to the
general office of the plant. He was
met by Mr.. II. r. VanDeventer, the
general manager. and Mr.. j. A. War
rem, superintendent Of the plant. The
commercial secretary was instructed ia
go through every department Of this
big plant with Superintendent Warren
and to make any criticism he felt like,
II he saw anything that he thought
was not conducive to the physical
welfare Of any of the operatives.
He was also invited to go over and
thoroughly inspect the company's
boarding house for female operatives
and make any suggestions or COM
plants he might think necessary.
The men operatives looked happy
and healthy and had smiles on their
faces, and the visitor was accorded a
cordial welcome by the male opera
tive's department heads and hundreds
OF the operatives. 1t was to be seen
at a glance that nothing was desir-
able to add to the comfort of the male
operatives.
Being more particularly interested
In how numbers of. young wofen who
In how numbers of young women who
ment In a strange city, and also how
the Sumter girls were getting along
and were being treated, the secretary
went over to the "women's working
room"
Here he found two hundred women
and girls like one big family gather
Ing and about as healthy, happy, and
contented bunch Of females as any
one would wish to see.
There are no rigid factory or
sweat shop" restrictions placed on
these young women. They are like
school girls on the honor system" as
1t were. and while busy, seem to be all
happy and contented.
The only thing pertaining to rigid
requirements about this plant Is that
the reputation OF every woman en-
ployed therein must be first class in
every way. 1t matters not who an ap-
plicant may be or where she comes
from her recommendations as to her
moral character, habits. tempera-
ment, and physical conditions must
be Of the best.
Every applicant for a position must
produce certificate of character from
three we'll known and reputable men
of her home community that she is
morally upright and her reputation
unquestioned.
This company has furnished
splendid home under the management
OF Mrs. Joseph Joye within a hall
block of the women's working room,
and within sight Of the plant.
The boarding and lodging house is
heated by steam, electrically lighted
throughout, and Mrs. Joye is like a
mother to every one of the girls. The
rates for board are very low as the
house Is not run to make money, but
Mrs. Joye chaperones the crowd of
thirty-five or forty young women un-
der her care. No rigid boarding
school rules govern this boarding
house, however. The young women
are just as though they were at home.
But Mrs. Joye is official censor, so to
speak. of whom these young women
associate with, and who calls on them,
whom they so out with, etc.
The rooms Of the young women are
Kept In good sanitary condition and
well aired and attended to in every
possible way. Fire escapes are pro-
vided from every floor of the three
story building. Accommodation for
seventy-five are to be had in this
building. Modern sanitary conven-
fences. baths. toilet, ETC., are furnish
ed.
1t has been determined that should
a profit be made at any time the net
proceeds will be devoted to additional
conveniences for the physical and So
cial comfort and pleasure Of the
boarders. AS soon as this home is
fully occupied another will be equip
ped and started UP.
What tho Sumter Electrical Com
pany liz seeking to do is to solve a
problem OF securing a sufficient num-
Der OF contented. we'll trained, and
we'll paid female operatives to keep
the plant running, because female op-
eratlVeS are very necessary but not