Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-15
What Women Are
Doing in Washington
Washington. June Is.

TINCLE SAM is setting his Washington
u house in order but. like every other
housekeeper. he is finding 1t hard work.
"ComS'ny keeps a-comin' and help can't be
had" as the farmers wife put it. And your
Uncle Samuel is wrestling with these and
other difficulties peculiar to his lot.
He keeps right on inviting men and women
mostly women--to work for him. They
come to Washington he bids them, stay
a short time and then go home, disguised
with his housekeeping and declaring he
should never have invited them II he couldn't
entertain them better than he does.
Very few women realize that their work
in the capital is war work of the most inn
portant sort and that they have no more
right to object to discomforts than their
brothers in the trenches On the contrary
so many women have failed to stick to their
jobs because of temporary hardships that in
some weeks Uncle Sam loses more workers
than he gains
For the last two months for every three
who came to Washington one left for home
and mother. The Government has paid their
ra ilroad fare for nothing and has to begin
all over again to break in green worker
As the experts in industrial management
n say, the Government has a shockingly
high labor turnover among its civil employees
in Washington. Figures this turnover,
according to the housing and health division
Of the War Department recently. ran:
During the week ending April 20. 1866
persons, of whom nearly 10 per cent are
women, came to Washington for Government
work; 72s left the city. yielding a net gain
Of 1888. In the week of April 81 1926 came
to work for the Government. 7s3 left their
jNbs and the net gain was S43 Nav 4 tbs
figures ran: Gross. 1872: loss. 6s7 net rain.
S25. May IL was the worst week, with a
gross increase of 1880, loss of s02 and net
gain of 77S.
MISS VAN KLEER of the Industrial
lVl Service Bureau of the Ordnance Depart
ment, tells Of manufacturer who requested
her department to remove all restrictions op
night and Sunday work for women that he
might catch up on important war contracts
Miss Van Kleek sent her assistant. Mrs. Ord
way Tead. to learn whether such exemptions
should be granted.
The first question Mrs Tead asked was.
What is your labor turnover" When she
found that 1t ran monthly from 20 to 80 per
cent she sought to provide the remedy. Re-
fore very long, under her suggestions the
women workers found conditions SO much
bettered that they were satisfied to remain
on the job.
THE housing ana health division of the
i War Department is at work along these
lines. 1t seeks to remove Just discomfort
and to provide better housing proper recrea-
tion and adequate health provision for all
Government employees. 1t has co-operated
with the Department of Labor In plans for
buildings which will take care of 5000 women,
but these houses have not yet been begun
and in the meantime the girls are pouring
in at the rate of nearly 1000 q week
THE District Of Columbia Council of Ma
i tional Defense has opened a room regis
tration Office at 1921 New York avenue where
such rooms may be obtained. This is the
place for a girl to apply when she comes to
Washington. Rooms for two girls rent from
$50 to $40 a month and single rooms from
SIS to SEQ. Lodging and excellent board
may be had for from s35 to $40 a month II
girl will double up with another as ali
workers urged to do that there may be
enough rooms to go round.