The Washington times., 1917-01-16
1,946 WOMEN ARE
ON D. G. PAYROLLS
Work Side by Side With Men in
Thirty Departments Of City
Government.

A middle-aged, matronly woman en-
ters the detective bureau at police
headquarters in the District building
with young, wan-faced woman In her
custody. The young woman Is brush
ing tears from her eyes with the cor
ner of a soiled handkerchief. She
is offered q chair at the sergeants
desk. she takes the telephone, and
engages in conversation with friend
at the other end of the wire. She
wants collateral to get her freedom.
she has been "pinched' for shophft-
ing.
This bit of drama, all in days
work at "headquarters," introduces
one of washington's two policewomen.
She belongs to an army OF her sis.
ters, 1 1,946 strong. who work for, and
draw their pay checks from, the city
government. ~.
Women Doing Their Part.
Side by side with the 2,e13 men en-
ployed by the city, these women
workers are not only doing their part,
but they are forever coming to the
front and taking big places In the
business OF the municipality.
There are thirty-eight departments
classified on the payroiis OF the city
government. In only eight Of these
departments are there no women en-
ployed.
These are the public utilities com
mission, the auditors office, the bath
ing beach, the coroner's office, and
Morgue, the -disb1rsing office, the ex.
else board, the fire department, and
the reformatory.
In numbers, women employees over
whelnpingly exceed the men In the
public schools. Here there are, 1,e66
women and 4s6 men.
Women 0utnumber Men.
Women employees outnumber men
also at the Public Library, 81 women
and 20 men: in the clerical staff Of the
Board Of Children's Guardians, wo-
men and 9 men: in the Industrial
Home School for white children. 13
women and 9 men: nthe Tuberculosis
Hospital, 20 women and 10 men, and
in summer, in the Fairgrounds de-
partment.
The only woman at the head of a
department Is Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes,
supervisor of Fairgrounds. She left
the Board of Education last year to
take this position that before had al
ways been held by a man.
Miss Alice George, assistant secre.
tary to the Board of Commissioners
and confidential secretary to Commits
sioner oliver p. Newman, occupies a
unique place among the city's women
workers. She Is the first woman to
have held this position. Miss George
Is the niece OF the late Henry George,
jr., economist.
C0mmissioner Newman's Views.
When he selected Miss George to
be his secretary Commissioner New
man gave out a public statement, de-
claring himself on the subject Of a
woman's right to such employment
He said: There is no particular
significance to my mind in the ap-
pointment Of Miss Alice George as
my secretary. In endeayoring to find
someone for this position gave con-
sideration only to the apparent ef-
ficiency of those whom I considered.
Believing Miss George to be the best
qualified of all applicants for the
place, selected her without regard to
the question OF sex, which It seems
to me should not be q handicap. to
the appointment or advancement of
any woman"
The woman who has worked long.
est continuously for the District gov.
ernment is Miss Emily BuehIer, clerk
in the executive office, who has seen
twenty-six years of service for the
city. Miss Lydia Marshall, clerk in
the same office, has worked for the
city for nineteen years.