El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-11-21
WELFARE WORKERS MAKE PLEA
FOR NEW STANDARD Of WAGES
Low Salaries Cause of Much immortality; Girls Given
Unfair Chance in Life Mrs. Roldan Asks Equal 0ppor
tunity be Given Mexican Girls, Who Are Anxious to
be Efficient as American Sisters; SIS Minimum.


Witnesses Exhaustive testimony was
given regarding wage conditions, cost
OF living, etc
A number Of prominent club wom-
en- listened with apparent interest 20
A. schwartz testified substantially
as follows The Popular store has
1S2 salesWomen and 123 women IN
what we term the uonproductive sec
ton. meaning those in offices and
the salesWomen Is 1888 week ana
OF the other 123. Ssh a week We
have one boy under Is years old who
gets IS a week Other boys work az
ter school our lowest paid sales
women are in the basement depart
ments. They are mostly AeNlcans VINO
get from SO a week. minimum up 20
$50 a week. We have one erraud girl
there who gets 81 a week and another
who gets $3.50 Our highest paid
saIeswomen receive salaries Of $3.50
TO $50 a week.
Two months ago we started the
bonus system In certain deparLrla en- Z
ments as an experiment. The basis Of
that Is that we figure out the cost OF
selling and give percent OF all sales
above that This was done on the
fifth floor where Il girls got DO
muses. The pay there has ranged from
$40 TO $3.50 week
II have Investigated the cost Of Iiv-
ing for women in industry. We en-
ploy about 20 percent Mexican WON
en-. Their standard o. living Is not as
high as that Of American women
There are two classes OF Mexican
women help, those who speak Eng
lish and have education, and those
who do not speak English and who
do not become efficient The latter
we use in our alteration department
r---~.--arr--f- rT,-H - Z f-1-~
i. with nv credit manager, A. S
Jacobs. went around and queried some
-cf our women employees as 10 living
expenses Some had quit the y W c
A.. saying they could live cheaper
Board and room and two meals a day
were 81 a week there, with so cents
a week for lights This question Of
cheaper living outside is disputed
however Such women take lunches
down town, probably at a cost OF 2
TO 80 cents day
"Our figures on living for these
women totalsd s623-6o year, or 81
a week. Items would run about Ike
this Clothing, S115s board and room
s3f5: toilet articles, etc, SIS amuse-
meuts. S25; savings at least 50 cents
week and as much as possible. SIS
laundry. SOS; associations, 50; car
fare, S36 co. church, $50
eve have the Popular Benefit as
ISOLATION. for which employees pay
percent OF their salaries 1t ls not
compulsory, but 20 takes care OF them
when they are sick Even IL they do
not belong we take care OF them but
they feel more independent BY paying
this small amount. realizing they are
not objects Of charity.
"Of course, all these figures are for
conservative, decent living, no style
that costs. For instance, conserve
tive. decent. good quality. serTiceao-e
merchandise in our lines have al
vanced about % 1-3 percent In me
last two years and we had advanced
wages about the same style mer-
chandise has advanced much more
StvIe shoes. this years make, are az
100 percent advance but we have
shoe az 3.e5 and s4s5 that no woman
need be ashamed % wear, although
thew are OF the style OF two year.
so. We pay for style. We are al
not only the working women, but eaieh
and an OF us, facing economic conal-
tons where we must cut our pa-leln
according 20 the cloth
Give Employees Discount.
eve also give our employees a as
count Of 10 percent on small pul-
chases and 20 percent on ready "a
wear We also give them one week !
vacation at full pay whether lAe9
take it OF not; that IS, II they WolA
ne entire 81 weeks. they are paid LoI
So; and IL they take the week, they
are paid for 81
I think II an industry does no.
nav a woman who works tull TIM,
with reasonable efficiency a Wag'
sufficient TO live on, within respec'
liability and comfort, society mas ti
make It up somehow.
A. S. Jacobs. credit manager OF m
p o. : E z g.
Schwartz's testimony BY saving ina
in the Investigations OF the cost o.
living among the employees OF tna'
establishment. those employees gaFi
their experiences with entire freedom
some going into lengthy explana'
ton" he added
NJ Cobleuz, president OF the WIKI
House. QUILTING house for women
said. among other things: Il believ'
81 the commission should place
minimum wage too highs say Wherl
markers, wrappers, and other IN
skilled labor would be getting a wag'
equal TO the really skilled. 1t would
create dissatisfaction among the EN-
At this point chairman n. C. Jen
niugs explained that the law creating
the commission and defining its pow
ers allowed that body 20 grant per
mits OF six months duration to EN-
UAuL AA1aAAAEL M4AhEEa AZ less AA--A
the minimum wage. and il they ar
not efficient in that time, anothe
six months permit can be granted
and so on. until they were OF sutfi
Client efficiency 10 be worth the mini
mum wage. providing, however. tina
this class shall not exceed 10 pc
cent OF the total number OF employee
In the particular industry.
To Lift Submerged Class.
Mr.. Coblenz said he feared that i
per cent would not relieve his es
tablishmeut as he employed NOR
than 10 per cent Of that class IN en-
tirely unskilled labor i think tn
minimum wage should be based Of
the woman depending on her Owl
work for a living" said Mr. COblenz
i think a business which cannot pa,
a living wage 20 its employees is
liability to society and not an asset
but I believe the commission SHOULD
have ia mind the protection Of N
business 70 a certain extent I thlnl
the purpose OF the law providing 10
the minimum wage is an effort 10 lii
up the submerged class
Max BorschoW, dry goods mercnan
at 206 East Overland street. testified
that he employed Mexican girls a.
clerks and paid IS TO $40 a week.
B. II. Hollander, one OF the owner
Of the FL Paso Manufacturing com
pany, makers OF overalls. testified