Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-30
WOMEN STRUGGLE
FOR CHANCE TO LIVE
Bureau of Labor Statistics Re-
veals Startling Conditions in
District of Columbia
Washington, March 30.

How working women In Washington
adjust their lives TO their incomes is
brought out In brief biographies OF
MARY" Josephine Eva" Mabel
and others in an article appearing In
the April number of the Bureau Of La
bor statistics Review. This is the sew
cnth article in the general series deal
ing with the cost of living in the Dis
trct of Columbia,
Previous articles showed that "a of
the women interviewed by the bureau
or 46 per cent, received under $500 a
year. approximately So per week, and
3s1, or 64 per cent, received under $500
per year. or approximately SO per
week.
Thirty-one per cent lived away from
hcme, 45 per cent were In receipt of
outside assistance, 72 per cent were
twenty-one years of age and over and
81 per cent had dependents.
Leaves OrpIianage ut Eleven
one girl lived in an orphanage until
she was eleven years old, the present
''She had to get a special permit TO go
TO work and has been working in stores
ever since--for ten years. She was
stock girl at Sc week until April of
1916. when she got ptomai'-- oCisOnng
Ia the employees lunchronm and had to
go to hospital for thirteen weeks.
The store paid her hospital bill, but did
not pay her wages during that time. so
she has been the rest of the year pay
frasv lNx,.
out Of the hospital she secured posi-
tion as "A salesgirl in another store Tn
I'll February she lived with married
sister and paid her $3.50 week for
board and lodging. In February, be-
cause of the death of her sisters hus-i
band. the two women broke up house,
keeping and took two unfurnished
rooms for $3.50 a month, sharing ex-
penses equally. Their food averages "a
J TO 30 a week. They do all their own
cooking. laundering. mending and make
their own underwear. She says they
spend almost all of Sunday getting ready
for the ncXt'wcck
; I'm 1916 she worked at night for
five weeks as cashier for a moving
picture house. but according to her ac-
count one OF the store girls 'peached"
On her and policeman informed her
the next day she could have ONLY ote
position at time. She has n little
! brother living at the orphanage. and
as soon as she finishes paying the board
money she owes for the time she was
to get him out.
she Is the sort OF a girl who ~
given a chance and good enough ua.on
so that she could have small surpIus
ABOVE the necessary living expenses.
would nave the ambition and health IN
study ana equip herself for more ef,i-
: cient service a: present she feels for
tunate II she is able to meet her mos,
pressing obligations, and she uses up
80 rnuch energy making this effort that
Is NOT possible Tor her to do more"
Another girl Is "a ribbon clerk. "She
graduated from the eighth grade r;nno
teen years ago, and has been working
ever since as salesgirl. She is maid
VII n week She lives at home with
: her parents and pays S5 week for
board and lodging but as she IL n
member of large family she helps
, with the housework one hour and a half
III the mornings and an hour at night.
and spends most OF Sunday doing addi
I tional cleaning and housework. In IeIs
: she took vacation of week and two
} days without pay. This cost her sI0
In addition to the loss OF her wages
, She paid ten cents a week on her life
insurance and ten cents a week for sic,,
, benefit and this Is as near as she came
5 TO saving anything during that wear.
, While her rate of pay might be a living
, , wage for younger woman, IL is not
/, sufficient for her TO lay by any amount
: for her old age"
; 81 Years Old, Gets SIS u Week
! Another girl started 10 work when
: she was nine years old she Is now
I thirt " four Shn I'm
? laundry for five years and gets S5 4
! week. She is one of "A large family. sc
! she gives most of her earnings 10 he,
!. mother. Her insurance Is ten cents q
= week, church costs cents a week an,
last year she bought 81 worth Of clothes
, She spends an hour day doing dishc,
y and cleaning for her mother. and sh,
\ does her own mending and washing anC
n takes care OF her own room. A frienc
> takes her to the movies once i'm a while
d and last year paid a doctor bill Of So 70,
: her"
4 Another girl says the report Is a,
4 information" operator "She is thirty
/ three years old and has been workIn,
e for ten years. Her annual earnings 10
n 1916 were s603,99, She lives with he
- sister and pays for the laundry. foo,
II and gas, while her sister pays for tn
l. rent and insurance. She spent s97 70
g clothes in 1916, and her other expense
d included items for carfare. books, paper
a and magazines, vacation. doctor churcl
: and gifts She came out even at IN
o. end of the year. In addition to doin
N cooking. marketing and cleaning-spend
e. ing about two hours on week days an
IN six hours on Sunday-she does som
Of her own laundering and altering Q
~ clothes.
NJ "The stories Of the other telephon
,e girls are similar to the one above. A
D. but two out Of twenty-three Intervene
I'd and those two were young and begir
10 ners--paid board and lodging to thei
~ families ranging from $3.50 10 Sl4.
~ Their expenditures for clothes range
" from $45 to tiss, many of them buyin
clothes On credit"