Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-11-05
NURSES DISAGREE upon
WAGE AND Time ISSUES
Richmond Organization In Throes of
:. Contest Between Radicals and
Conservatives.
HIGHER PAY BEING DEMANDED
Some Also Seek to Enact Rule Limit
ing Number of Hours Worker
May Stay on Duty-Circular Sent
Out by Leaders.

Even the sick and manned In Rich
mond Will not be immune from the
II. c, OF l., if some members Of the
shorten hours. This movement, termed
as Bolshevis,ic by those opposing it,
the Nurses Club meets tomorrow af-
iernoon a; o'clock at the Y. ". c. 4.
Two elements-slie conservative, who
are. not entirely pTeiudiced against a
70 fixing the hours for duty, and the
radicals. who are advocating shorter
hours and higher pay-are preparing
Tor bitter contest al the meeting
tomorrow.
Already the conservatives IN the or
Ea1i1ation have begun an active fight
20 halt the "Bolshevistic movement"
and a circular letter. signed by two
dent OF the Richmond Nurses Club and
two other women in the ministering
profession. was sent out yesterday TO
all members OF the club.
Move Called UnethicaL
This letter contends that the move
men, for regulating working hours
for nurses Is unpatriotic, unethical and
adds another disturbing factor 10 gen
ing the shorter hour rule and higher
wage scale point 10 the higher cost
of living as their reason. but the
conservatives are te1mins their pro-
Authorship OF the circular letter sent
out by the conservatives YESTERDAY IS
attributed 10 Miss Rose zimmerman
van Wort. superintendent of stuart
Circle Hospital, who was practically
head of the nursing activities OF the
State during the period Of the war
Miss van Eort's letter is addressed
to Miss Virginia Lambert. president OF
the Richmond Nurses Club The text
of It follows:
"Since | am leaving town. 1 will not
OF. 10
Richmond Nurses Club. although feel.
as one of the older nurses OF the CITY,
] should voice my opinion.
81 am sure the high cost OF living
will be an argument presented. as this
seems 10. be the opening wedge LOT
various ill-resultinE demands But may
/ caution the Richmond Nurses Ciuo
to act slowly regarding the regulated
or specified hour question?
Reason for Opposition.
.T'irst, let me say that we viii not
DE needing the words OF our grea.
Fresident--that is, for each ana evS Ssy
true American citizen 10 "oEh hai uei
"Second. our ethical association must
not endcavor to regulate houLs as
labor union l, was the Foresight Q,
Florence Nightingale that this might
occur which was the prime factor In
her objection TO organization ana reg
istration of nurses tho association
adop ted this twelve hour system. it
: would not be upheld by our repre-
GraspinE nurse that Is not credit
n her profession. l believe even TINS
type of nurse would find at the cruSial
,ts OF attempting TO carry It out
Fourth. The average patient, when
seriously i'll has her two nan nSrse will per
nit In the Richmond hospitSis
second nurse is provided at the eK-
pcnse OF the institution Shonld tne
d n
AT the present time. when hen the the
w0d rs FORTH m es
s SACK 10 f"H normal basis, i would
hqrdy be in ksePnE w5n the m spEs
further demands. and to that extent
unsettie present arrangements and
people neo e. who find it increasingly dIdi:
cult to meet present demands
Five Sign Circular.
This letter. as sent out, carries also
the names Of Miss Martha B.; Baylor.
sn9 es OF B S
dent of the Richmond Nurses Club:
Miss Mamie Jones and Miss Alberta
Reed.
One superintendent said last night
that she felt so strongly on the mat
ter Of nurses thinking that they had
the right TO stipniase how many hours ours
ter of saving. lives possibly. that she
had refused % en,pfoy any nurse who
made the tSel.ee-hours condition.
while / do not approve of nurses
working more than twelve hours at
a stretch" she said, and while our
hospitals IN Richmond rarely keep
nurse on duty longer than twelve
hours. I firmly believe that a nurse
should do her duty wherever she finds
Il, and that 20 allow her TO walk out
and leave an i'll patient at the limit
OF her twelve hours. II the patient
heeds her longer. Is bringing sort
which is bound TO be disastrous, and
intend to DO everything in my power
to combat II. feel sure OF the sup
port OF the older and wiser heads
among the nurses. and OF public
opinion, which has been most critical
OF the pronteer!ng spirit of the nurs-
Ing profession in recent months"