Evening star., 1919-01-23
WAR risk CLERKS
WANT $240 BONUS
Tell Senators They Should
Not Be Excepted as in
Bill House Passed.
DID NOT GET $12O EXTRA

| A delegation of woman workers in
the bureau OF war risk insurance to-
day appeared before the Senate ap-
| propriations subcommittee in charge
! of the Legislative. executive and ju-
| dicial appropriation bill to ask that
| they be given the Northumberland
| forty-dollar bonus which has been
provided for the great majority OF
the government employees in the ap-
| preparation bill as it passed the
| House. The employees of the war
| risk insurance bureau are not in
cluded in the provisions of the bill
! granting this bonus, but are put in
the class of temporary bureaus, es-
| tablished for war work.
| Mrs. Helen D. Longstreet, Miss Ar
clay Marshall, Mrs. John r. jackson
and, Mrs l. w. Eckstein addressed the
committee. Miss Marshall said that
| they represented the insurance sec
ton of the war risk insurance bu-
3 eau. permanent division.
Pass the Same Tests.
eWhen we took the examinations
for entrance into the service" she
said,, I'VE passed the same tests as
other girls who received appointments
to otA er bureaus. We left just as
good Aobs and just as comfortable
homes s1nd came to Washington with
just thu same hopes We accepted
the S1,etO year appointments offered
us. At abe end of three months our
friends ins other bureaus got an auto
matte incaS ease of 500. We did not.
AT the endS of six months our friends
were raiseds to $1,000. We were still
I'VE did ma get the s12o bonus which
other clerks. All we have had is
raise of 500 about six months ago.
Other Jobs at hbetter pay are offered
tus, but we haA-e been pursuaded to
remain in the VAR risk insurance bu-
reau by promises' of better pay. New
s1,10o $1,000 and s1,3oo a year.
mo special pric.H' or low rates have
ever been granted the war risk girls
by the people of Washington We
per cent discount to var risk girls.
Had Annual Lea We Reduced.
T "our annual leave vs,s reduced last
year to fifteen days and our sick
leave to ten days. It is common
thing for us to get the IA a! Ha' when
we announce that We !1re war risk
girls, because 1t is geneS' ally known
among other government employees
we must necessarily be 4 'orking on
a small salary. We DOM like this
attitude We are proud to have been
assigned to a bureau whoixs work IL.
for SO noble a purpose We have
purpose is our purpose and we want
to stay with the bureau. But un-
Hess something IS done there will be
manly seeking transfers to ot1ter pu-
reaus. We want no more apr our
labor than Uncle Sam thinks iss right.
but, let me ask, are we not entitied
to the same consideration aS our
friends in other bureaus?'
{ The American Congress may CON
tfnue to deny the. women who sArye
living wage" said Mrs. LongstreAt-e
..but If our lawmakers adhere to thAs
policy and vote 81 90, 000, 900 or a thou
sand millions to help the packerA
southern Europe te feed the starving
people there they will advertise US as
a nation of hypocrites. The. noblest
type of charity begins at home.
Ask Treatment Others Get.
'1f the. Senate COMMITTEE admits
that one class of clerks should be
granted salaries on which they can
live decently and escape burial in the
potter,s field when they die. 1t is ditb-
cult to understand the mental Proc
esses that arrive at the conclusion,
that another class Of clerks. equally
Welt qualified, and equally faithfAl.
should be denied living wage"
The committee has not yet acted
upon the request Of the war risk in,
surance- en1plpyes nor upon the whole
question of the $240 granted in the
mittee today said they considered the,
amuloyeS had made q lust plea -fr