Evening journal., 1918-07-01
.6O-75 Cent HAIR
CUTS COMING NEXT
BARRIERS Say Crow err S
Work or Fight" Rule
is Responsible
MEN GO TO ORK
IN THE SHlPYARDS

Many Wilmington business places are
affected by the work or nght" order
Of General Crowder, which becomes ef-
fectlyo today. This is a Federal law,
and locally comes under the authority
OF the local draft boards There seems
TO be a general confusion Of the State
law with this Federal order. amons
Wilmington business men. The State
law does not become effective until Au-
gust 4. and includes men from is TO 50
years Of age The Crowder Federal
law il In effect today, and includes men
from 2i 10 81 years OF age. All decisions
under the Crowder ruling will be made
by the draft boards. and the State on
oials have no jurisdiction under this
I Federal order. According 20 the Crow
der order, all men within the draft
age, who are engaged In non-essentlai
Industries, which include walters. port
crs, BARRIERS, elevator boys, bell boys,
store clerks and amusement attendants,
must seek other employments classed
as essential. by July l.
Tho barber shop proprietOrs are up
against one OF the hardest labor propo-
sltlons OF any trades affected by the
CrOwder ruling and war conditions gen
erully. Nearly all the local shops have
lost men In the draft, and other men
have left the work TO mako more
money in the shipyards. Several shops
have gotten along for the past week
with only the proprietor TO do the
work, although there are seven or eight
chairs in the shops. Some OF the local
shops are paying s35 a week wages, but
at that they cannot compete with the
shipyards and munition works. one
barber said he was thinking Of work
ing during the day In a shipyard him
self and keeping his barber shop open
IN the evenings. He didn't know how
he was going 10 pay his rent. Another
man. who has been without help Tor
several days is closing his shop at 9
O'Clock. as he cannot stand the strain
OF all day and evening work, when he
has II all to do.
Another prominent proprietor spoke
/ OF the lack Of dependablllty OF help.
/ He paid the license apd the union Zee
| OF a Young man from another city, ana
when the young man found how busy
he was kept because OF the help short
axe. ne departed after two days with
out the formality Of a g00d-by sew
eral BARRIERS said that their helpers
would take days of even In this busy
time. because they knew the proprl
etors could do nothing about II undei
the shortage conditions.
One curious feature noted by u'
BARRIERS Is that since so many OF M
Young men customers have gone TO tn
armv. profits are greatly cut TIT
Young fellows would come regularly
every few days FOR hair-cuts. shampoo'
and All the extras. The older men are
mostly contenied with a shave whlch
is an operation without much proht 70
the barber compared with the prohts
Of extras.
II was suggested that women bar
bers might result as they have been
tried out successfully in the west Inc
local men were inclined TO think city
customers would not take kindly 10 the
fair sex as BARRIERS. one man said ms
wife came into the shop one day, ana
was sitting there. A customer lookeo
in al the door. saw the lady, and evil
IDENTIFY thinking the day OF the woman
barber had arrived. led precipitateiy.
Down In Georgetown, this Stale, they
have long had successful women bar
bers.
one man said that Delawareans were
so particular about the service that
man who had worked In Delaware
could get barber Job anywhere, u
was enough 90 make him known as an
expert. a number OF customers nave
complained Of the BARRIERS over drait
age. who have been called upon 10
help out IN the emergency. Ihey say
the older men. while they do a good
lob. are too slow about II. The men
under draft age are not looking for
bsrber shop Jobs. Where there used
10 be two OF three apprentices IN every
shop in the city, one barber said today
| that he did not believe you could nnd
an apprentice in any shop In town. one
barber wired two young BARRIERS ne
| knew about in other places, several
days ago. and had not heard from
either Of them yet Some OF the pro
prieicrs said that a difficulty was that
I ibs tfade could not be learned In few
days. like waiting In a restaurant that
apprentices used TO take three years TO
] become experts.
A leading barber, with a somewhat
rueful smile. explained that he even had
10 come Sundays and clean his shop
himself: he could not get anyone TO do
lH When the BARRIERS take up another
kind Of work they arc Obliged by the
union rules 20 take out retirement
cards. and cannot work at the barber
trade under the union while they are
engaged In the other work. This pre-
vents the local men from engaging
shin workers evenings. As a fact, there
are very few members Of the local bar
hers union who are not within the
draft age.
All OF these conditions lead up to
ihe conclusion that Il will be necessary
10 raise the prices. This has been done
already IN a few shops.
I'VE have TO pay our rent, and at the
prescent scale, without much help, we
cannot do H." was the comment OF
dozen local BARRIERS who were asked the
question today about increase OF prices
No decision has been made yet, but
probably will be by the end OF the
week. Several BARRIERS quoted so cents
or 10 cents as the probable price OF a
haircut and % cents as the expected
price Of a shave. Today the majority
Of shops were continuing the present
scale OF prices.
The downtown restaurants VIII con-
tinue 10 employ men, as their walters
are mostly unnsturalized aliens, Greek
/ Italian or Polish. Several Market
street stores have lost men clerks, in
/ the draft or In war industries, ano
have replaced them with women.
Thare wore hellhovs and men ele-