The Washington times., 1919-10-15
BASIC PAY
IS REVISED down

Continued From Page l5)
would be left in school. These are
the principles bereve the board
should have recognized in its order
which IL did recognize in its original
order and I could not conscientious
~ do otherwise than oppose the Elcol-
ficRtion Of that. order.
"In the position take on this qUes-
tioH, / am IN accord with the atti-
tude OF organized labor throughout
the District, as expressed by our
spokesman at the hearing last Week'
and with the attitude Of the Ma
tional Consumers League, the IN
dustrial department Of the National
Y. w. c. A. and the child labor
office Of the Childreus Bureau, the
international Welfare Association
and educators both local and ma
tionaL"
Miss Ernestine L. Friedman, ma
tional field industrial secretary Of
the Y. W. G. A., who has made a
study Of women's employment ~
different cities, stated today that the
mercantile industry Is the mop un-
standardized in the United States
FOR years, she stated. women have
been unable 70 organize because or
the great variance found in the
wages paid by store owners to their
women employees. and the living con-
ditions under which they have had
TO live.
sees Hope for Women.
Washington,s step in fixing
minimum wage for children upon
the same basis asthat fixed for wo-
men was the frst ray OF hope held out
to the thousands OF women employees
IN the country for a form Of protec-
ton. She explained this protection
In the following light:
''The minimum wage Of $3.50 hXeo
for women employees Is not contested
by the employers, but they do pro-
test the same minimum wage for
children. BY adopting this minimum
wage for children. the women are
protected. AS long as an employer
has TO pay the same wage on minors
as he pays to his women workers
he Is, Of course. going to employ
the women. IL he can secure cheaper
labor by hiring children, he viii DO
Il and get rid Of the women TO whom
he has TO pay a higher salary. That
Is the reason why Women's organiza-
tions ali over the country are IN
dorsing this hrst step in Washing
ton.
Miss Friedman has been in work
of investigating the conditions among
working women in other cities for
more than eight years. She stated
that other cities will follow Wash
ington's example without a doubt IN
making the minimum wage for chill
dren the same as that set for women
w. Carson Ryan, Of the Bureau OF
Education, president Of the Federal
Employees Union No. 2, predicted that
many children viii be taken out OF
school in consequence OF the board 8
ruling.
'HTo yield to the merchants pro-
test" he said today, "and reduce the
minors wage below the minimum
wage for women will work out into
the practical result Of a raid upon
/ the schools for a cheap labor supply.
The incentive to the employers TO
seek the younger workers II they
were cheaper win far out balance IN
its ill effects the stimulus TO the
children to seek out tn high paying
jobs themselves"
Miss Deal PFOteBtH.
Miss Alice Deal, principal Of the
Junior High School Of Washington
and a student Of the children's school
attendance problem, reiterated the
arguments Of Dr. Ryan by stating
that in her belief that II the wage for
minors is kept below that OF adults,
children will be kept out Of school
through the offers made to them BY
employers who seek to gain good
labor at cheap prices.
Mrs. Raymond Robins, president Of
the National Women's Trade Union
League, made the following statement
to The Times today concerning the
minimum wage:
II am very sorry to hear the
Minimum Wage Board has receded
from its first position on the minimum
wage question for minors. At first