Evening star., 1919-07-27
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.


red letter day for working
" women in Washington Thu
highest minimum wage eyel
established, through operation OF {
minimumwage law, $3.50 week, fol
women employed in mercantile estab'
lishments, becomes effective on thai
date. While it applies only to the
women employed in the stores, big ane
little, of the capital, this minimum
wage holds out hope to the women ir
other work that their time is to come
1t holds out hope, too, to womer
employed in all parts Of the United
States. The minimum wage law fol
women and minors employed in the
District of Columbia, enacted last
year, was designed to be a model fol
the states. Fourteen states already
have minimum wage laws for women
and minors, but in no other place has
a minimum wage for woman workers
been established as high as $3.50 q
week. In California, progressive
state, the minimum wage established
for women in mercantile houses is
$3.50 a week.
Massachusetts, Blazed Trail.
The old Bay State, Massachusetts,,
was the first to enact minimum wage
law for the women. about a decade
ago. The law has worked to the ad-
vantage of the women and minor en-
ployes in that state, though its en-
forcement depends upon the power
of public opinion. The law does
not provide any penalties for its
violation. Here not only the power
of public opinion is brought to
bear, but both fine and Jail penalties
may be imposed upon employers vio-
lating the law. 1t will go hard, there
fore, with any employer in a mercan-
tile establishment who. after Novem-
Der 1, pays his woman employees less
than $3.50 a week.
There are 1000 women employed in
the mercantile establishments in the
District of Columbia. What the mini
mum wage just established by the
minimum wage board will mean to
these women can be readily conjec-
tured when it is remembered that
more than 1000 of these women will
have their wages automatically in
creased by from $3.50 to $3.50 a week.
There are many of the women who
will receive greater increases in pay.
Fourteen States in Line.
The fourteen states, which, in addi-
7tion to the District of Columbia, have
minimum wage laws today are: Cali
fornia, oregon, Washington, Colorado,
Arkansas, Utah, Minnesota, North Da-
kota, Texas, Wisconsin, Massachu-
settS, Kansas, Arizona and Nebraska.
In lTf2h and AriZnna Ia actually
establishes a minimum wage, instead
of leaving it to a board to fix as the
conditions may warrant for different
industries and for different years. The
plan in the District law, and in that
of Massachusetts, etc, is for a mini
mum wage board to investigate condi-
tions and to establish minimum wages
in accordance with the finding. This
is far more satisfactory.
Women who have given the mini
mum wage question close study are
not crazy about" the Idea. But
which women find themselves in in
dustry at present such laws are a real
help-to prevent the exploitation of
women in labor by employers. The
great masses of the woman workers
are unorganized-some 100000 only
out of a total of 100000 being mem
bers of trades unions of one kind or
another. So women are comparatively
helpless when it comes to dealing with
employers. Then, too, it has been the
custom from time imme emorial to pay
women less-very much less-for
similar work than is paid men. The
women have had to take the lower
wages.
Sustained by the Courts.
Minimum wage laws and hours of
work laws for women and minors
have been SUSTAINED by the courts
as constitutional. Men have known
from employers. and consequently
there has not been the need for them
to press for minimum wage laws
The constitutionality of such laws
for men, indeed. has been questioned
on the ground that it would strike al
and minors have been regarded BY
the courts here as wards" of the
state. This attitude has not been al
together pleasing to some OF the
women.
The recent award by the minimum
wage board for women in mercantile
establishments in the District is the
second made for woman employees
here. The women engaged in the
printing trades were given mini
mum wage of $3.50 a week, which
was a record for the country in sucf
matters until the recent award wa.
made. Now the minimum wag'
board is planning to take up the in
vestigation of conditions surround
ing women employed in other worI
here, and, if necessary, to fix mini
mum wages for them, too. Amont
the classes. or industries, which will
be taken up by the minimum wag'
board are the women employed il
hotels and restaurants; in mechanica
and manufacturing establishments
lor 6riG n n W
lishrnents: Office workers. including
stenographers, typists, clerks, etc.
office building workers, including
cleaners. elevator operators, etc. ant
telegraph and telephone operators.
The members of the board realiZ
that the women employed in some o
these industries here may have beel
making a fair or even more than
fair living wage since the war began
Entitled to Living Wage.
The theory of the minimum wag
law, as explained by a member o
the local board, is that the woman
worker is entitled to a living wage
that will enable her to support lif
decently and to save a little. !
woman must live and live decently
If her employer does not pay TO
her living. then some one else in tn
community must pay. The minimum
wage board intends to see that tn
employer pays woman Worke
enough to live on.
III the employer does not do sc
then he is a parasite on the com
munity, and other persons in tn
community are contributing to tn
operation of his business in an undu
manner.
Fears have been expressed that tn
esta blishment of minimum wag
for women would result in the highe
Maid women having their wages re