The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-06-29

: It's all very well for people who
have "A basement with laundry
trays. and clothes pole In the
back yard. and either a lanndress
of their own. or. better yet. time
and strength to be independent OF
iaundreaseH.
But ! belong TO the helpless tribe
OF hotel jewellers. My two-weeks.
agos laundry hasat come home
yet. my last weeks IL in my laun.
dry bag. I'm wearing shirt waists
that don't show the dirt and the
chambermaid offered me humble
apologies instead Of clean towels
yesterday morning.
What | said then about laundry
made their left ears burn.
Later In the dag. ! talked ~ith
some OF the striking girls,
The first thing ! found out was
that laundry girl" may be a real
girl. pink and white skinned. In
white shoes and a coat OF explosive
colors you can get them on the
installment plan II you have TOT. or
she may be an elderly woman In a
shapelcss old suit. with n couple
OF children somewhere.
Take Hsttie's Case
More often. she IL anywher. be-
tween these extreme types.
Take. for instance. Hattie BAR.
Low.
II il Hattie Barlow's weekly pay
check that you zee photographed
above. Five dollars and ninety
seven cents.
Hattie Barlow II not young girl.
Her husband died II years ago.
leaving her with s-year-old baby
girl and the bills for his last ~.
ness.
The things that an unframed
woman can do In such n situation
are not many. Hattie Barlow
cooked in lumber camps-you can
take a baby with you there. and
the pay Is good but It isn't steady
aud it's hard to save enough while
you're working. TO live on while
you're out OF work.
She Tackles Laundry Work
She worked as a chambermaid
at $50 day. But a chamber
maid. even a married woman with
little girl. has certain things 70
contend with" Hattie Barlow told
mo. And It was seven days in the
week. and no time she could cal
her own.
So, few weeks ago. Hattie Bar
low went to the Washington laun
dry. and got work as an apprentice,
shaker" or ''poler."
She got. of course. only the mini
mum wage for apprentices. 81 a
week but she had her eve on the
81 that. under the minimum wage
law. she would be paid when she
had passed her six months ap
premiership.
Her work was TO pick up table
cloth or sheet, hold II by It's cor
ners with arms outatretched. give
1t quick. hard shake. hang II or
the pole" ready to be fed to the
mangle, pick up another and do tn,
same thing. and repeat the opera
ton for eight hours every day.
Was Just Breaking In"
II sounds easy. and It is easy
In one way. Anybody can Learn
all there is to learn in a few days.
says Hattie Barlow. There's nc
sense in making the apprenticeship
six months II a girl hasn't learned
laundry work In 80 days. she isn't
going to learn II at all. and they
might as well get rid OF her"
But in another way, shaking
isn't so easy. A day or two after
she began work. Hattie Barlow
thought she had rheumatism Her
shoulders ached so she could hard
~ raise her arms to her head when
/ she crawled out OF bed.
The pain grew worse For two
\ days she was unable to work. The
suffering was uncomfortable. She
went to "A doctor-tho doctors cost
money. From her symptoms, he
thought at first she had plusrisy
but on investigation the truth came
out. She was merely getting
broken in to shaking"
Takes Place OF 50 Girl
"All the girls have to 20 thru
with that at first" she says. ant
considers that the joke was on her
A week after she began work
she was given promotion. THAI
is. she was set TO feeding stand
ing in front OF the mangle and lay
ing the large flat pieces on tn,
ribbons that run between the roll
ers
Frances. the girl who had beer
doing the work, was getting 3d.
she says. They fired her and pu
me In her place"
SO, for eight hours a day and si'
days week. Hattie Barlow stoot
-. .usa feet a Front nf tl.