The Washington herald., 1918-10-14
Hunting Lodgings in Washington;
How Girls Fall Among Profiteers

announced IN church Sunday morninl
Is taken before the day is overi
] went back TO the Union statiof
and inquired at the desk maintained
there for the purpose Of procuring
rooms for girl government employees
The woman in charge gave me ons
address. called there. only TO b.
told that there would be nothing opeI
for two nights at least The housl
was old, dark and dingy. The land.
lady took transients only, and he
charge for a small, spsrely Furnished
room on the third floor was 81
night
] had luncheon Monday at the cafe.
terra on the third floor OF the Con
gressional Library. The food there a
cheap and edible. That afternoon
was the same story as in the morn.
ing. / went back TO the hotel Mon,
day night Dinner, room and break.
fast reduced my 81 10 a little NOR,
than SO. And still / had no othe.
place 20 go!
Monday night a member OF tkt
College Women's Club tried to get
room there for me. They had NJ
rooms, and could tell me Of none
Meantime one Of my friends had got.
ten in touch with a woman offiCiatInt
on a large housing committee. Tn,
only place she had 10 recommend
was a well-known family hotel. whert
might have procured room anc
board for 81 a day. How far would
500 salary go at that rste2 Thi
members Of my college sorority an.
piled to this same woman for a housi
which they could rent and furnisI
for war workers. The only hOust
she offered them was one which nov
rents UnfUrnished for 800 a month
To take II would mean that twent,
or thirty women must live there
crowded into the twelve rooms. IN or,
der 70 keep up living expenses.
In my inquiries among the olde
| Washingtonians found the sam
inability 10 grasp the situation con
fronting the hundreds Of girls VIII
are absolutely dependent on a srnsI
salary. Even on one OF the fey
fabulously large war salaries on
could not live in Washington a
well as one can live IN New YorI
for SIS a week. know, for hav
tried it,
Tuesday ms<ning after snoths
brief business session ] walked IN
streets. going into every house tha
looked at all respectable-whethe
or not there ives a sign Of Room
TO Let" in the window. I INQUIRE
in one old house opposite IN
Capitol BuildinE II is a reH OF de-
parted grsndeUr-enormous high
ceilinged rooms. marble psneIe,
vestibule. carved rosewood doors
But inside are all the esrmsrks q
shabby gentiIity -mouse-eaten fur
niture. dirty portieres. bare floors
falling plaster Yet in this hous
a room was offered which was r.
share with three other gIrls-sn,
the price for each girl was $40
month. Think Of that for proftesr
ing-S12o q month for one room
and that money taken from girl
who were earning less than SIS .
week,
At another place there was an 81,
back parIor fitted up with = chssr
iron bed. q rickety washstand an,
an impromptu wardrobe consisting
Of a few clothes hooks overhunI
by an old green portiere. Tn.
house smelIed OF illuminating gas
and was in one Of the old resfdsn
tIal streets near Pennsylvania eve
nue. southeast In Washington o
ten years ago the whole h0usl
would have rented for $40 2 moutI
or less-yet the lendlady rented thir
back parlor alone for S5S a montI
without hoard-with the onl,
bathroom on another floor: and IN.
| only other accommodation she Coult
orfer me was a temporary couch 10
| the parlor ct 50 q night
Tuesday afternoon II was decided
that ] need not stay in wsshinEtoI
( for the present. 50 gave up m,
{ room at the hotel and decided q,
. spend the night with my friend
/ After buying my ticket back to New
York had just Sl.25 left out Of N,
$25 with which had come TO Wash.
ington two days before. and tina
| did not include the price OF m,
/ ticket and berth 10 Washington.
Coming back on the o'cIoCl
train, had to stand in line half a.
/ hour to get into the diner. That
I however. was a minor Inconvenience
| as 1 had been able TO get a seat "a
{ the parlor car. But I saw severa
army and navy officers who Coult
not even procure a seat in the com.
mon coaches. sitting on their suit.
cases in the vsstibUIes of the trsial
all the way TO New York,
I was glad to see this old town
There was only one thing that look.
| ed better TO me than the Tenusvl.
vania Station and that was the sigh.
I of my own comfortable room a.
! home!
They told me they expected II.rnI
! new girl employees in washfuEt-t
the 1st Of October. What did thay
do with them? II is true the gov,
/ eminent is building houses for girls
/ but so far the walls Of the first story
are not even completed. when
was there ] heard that girls W. =,
( leaving Washington every dav
. sometimes 500 a day. because they
/ could not afford to live there un6pI
| present conditions. And Washing.
ton needs their help, The Y. W c
! A is doing wonderful work in PRO.
! curing lodgings for girls. hu' Is
Z would take sUperhuman Efforts q
I handle all the cases that need IN.
mediate care. What is Washington
1 going TO do about it,
Only two solutions occurred 70 NO.
| One is the erection Of portable houses
little tent cities on the outskirts ~
Washington. The weather NAV he
cold and tents are not the most COM
Portable places 20 occupy in rainy
weather. but q girls chances for
! health are much greater IN an sirv
tent than in a crowded, stuEv room
with several other girls, BY the time
the coolest weather begins the gov
ernment lodgings for women EN-
| ployes may be completed.
Another solution would be 70 rCnf
some Of the abandoned stores or res
! taurants. passed several OF these
| places. Fill them with clean. saui-
! tary cots and rent the cots 70 girls
for . cents a night each. A person
who would undertake this work
would save many a girl the humilis-