Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-08-15
IN DANGER Of los
ING THE REST ROOM
Financial Matters are Annoying
Difficult to Raise Funds to
Support It.

Webster City stands now in epo-
sition to lose her Rest Room. This
fact was made known yesterday. The
| financial condition of the CONNER
cial League is the thing responsible
for this situation and unless some
thing tangible is done at once the
Rest Room will close October 1st.
The up-keep of the Rest Room has
been since the beginning, almost
two years ago, around $55 per
month, $40 of which has been fur
nishcd by the board of supervisors
and the remainder by the CONNER
cial League. The room since it's
opening day has averaged from 500
| to 900 guests per month, among
whom were travellers, innumerable
babies and small children, but the
greater per cent of whom were shop
pers from small towns nearby.
"Thc closing of the Rest Room in
Webster City would be a crime, :"
said prominent business man to-
day. "If the business men of Web
ster City would just go down there
and look upon the register and read
the larger number of names coming
here from other towns they would
be convinced that we can not let
this thing co.
The rooms have furnished place
of rest and have furnished toilet ia
cilities for countless women and
girls employed in the business dis
trict who have had no other place
to 90 and whose comfort and health
will actually suffer, should the room
proposition be abandoned.
The rental Of the rooms which
comprise large sitting room, siz-
able resting room and toilet rooms,
is 5000 per year in advance. The
salary of the matron of the room
is $25 per month and the other ex-
penscs of the room are: laundry
work, general up-keep and incident
|als.
A Rest Room in Webster City
should no more be abandoned than
the park system, with it's attending
expense of up-keep. 1t is necessity
to the thousands of women with lit
tile children down town shopping
through the year. If the public
could go through the room once
day during the year, as has the writ
err of this sketch, and seen the baby
cribs filled with sleeping babies
away from flies and dust, the moth
ers lying on the couches placed in
the rooms: if they could have seen
the dozens of worn and tired travel
ers who gratefully refreshed them
selves by an hours rest at the place,
there would be no more difficulty in
raising the funds necessary for its
up-keep than there is in raising
money for any charitable purpose.
There are approximately one hun
bred federated club women in this
city; without any doubt each wom-
an would give So during the year.
as the club women do in other
towns.
The establishment of police ma
iron would take care of the salary
of the rest room matron who might
be matron and police matron COM
bined. While the office Of police
matron may not be necessary in
Webster City every day in the year,
it is often needed in some way.
Already Mrs. Robson, the present
rest room matron, has filled the Of
fee usually taken by a police ma
iron, in counselling unfortunate
girls, in finding work for destitute
women and in countless other capac-
tiles. No better woman for the po-
sition could be found in the city.
With the allowance of salary for
the Police Matron, the remainder OF
funds necessary, could easily be
raised by public subscription or by
some other means. The Rest Room
should be permanent asset to Web
ster City and one of her most valu-
able.