The Washington times., 1919-12-25
SAYS CAPITOL
S[|GHTSO. c.
Commissioners Cooper Flags
Congress for Sinking Duly
at Hearing on Salaries.

"tO1Zre-S. Nnf pD%TN tt
20 look after the interests OF the DIS
trict Of Columbia. does not attend TO
its business half the time.
This statement b. Commissaonef
Cooper. Of the Congressional Joint
commission on Reclassification OF
SALARIES. came a. a thunderbolt yes
serday as the hearings heretofore had
been devoid OF comment BY the Com
nsissioners.
II know the ways OF Congress"
aid Cooper. II have been a Con
gressmsn myself"
His attack upon Congress, and its
apparent unconcern in considering az
fairs Of the District. was occasiened
by the disclosing OF sweat shop
conditions in the mail bag repair shop
os tho PostofGce Department. The
blame for insanitary and dust-filled
work rooms fpenacfng the health o.
eco women, according to testimony.
starvation" wages and generally un-
desirable conditions, was laid direct
ly to the negligence OF Congress by
Mr. Cooper.
NO one is to blame but Congress"
he remarked. THE administrative
heads of the shop are not at fault;
but Congress which, as the governing
and responsible body, permits such a
state of affairs"
Many Similar Cases-
Repeated evidences of deploraole
working conditions OF Government
employees, which under any other jur-
isdiction aside from the District of
Columbia arc held criminal by laws
Of Congress. have been brought be-
fore the reclassification commission
While the commission has received
them without expression IL has been
frequently apparent that Congress
was regarded as the responsible
party.
During a lengthy auizzing OF Su-
perintendent Cady, OF the mail bag
repair shop. IL was shown that for
eleven years the shop was located
at FIRST and X streets northeast in
what was nothing more than dingy
and poorly ventilated stable. More
recently the shop has been located at
Fifth and W streets northeast.
Cieaaiax Machines u.ssed. i,
Miss Rose Adams. an employe IN
the shop for Twenty-Five years, as
chairman Tor the other women em-
ployes. charged the new building was
without fans and vcntilAtors to carry
OF the dust from mail bags She de-
clared that these bags, which sccu-
r1ulate dirt. dust and filth In hand
ling on trains, at terminals and
otherwise, are not cleaned In any
manner before coming into the hands
Of the women repairers-
She further charged that such a
condition prevailed In spite of the
fact that two large tumbling clean
ing machines purchased by the de-
partment at 5000 apiece. had never
been used since the new building was
occupied.
"Why are they not in usey" Mr..
Cooper asked Miss Adams.
'She IL not qualified TO answer that
question." superintendent Cady inter-
ropted.
Faulty, Says Superintendent.
When Superintendent Cady was
later given the floor to explain this
query, he said that the machines re-
ferred to had been found faulty and
were too heavy to move when the
new building was finished.
I'VE then built our own cleaning
machines" Mr.. Cady continued They
were slow in being completed, and
then when they were finally finished
the uncertain labor situation arose
and we could not get any one to
operate them"
He admitted that the bags were
not cleaned before handled by the
women, but declared that there was
SUFFICIENT ventilation in the shop to
carry of the dust
ct have heard OF this complaint
before" said Mr.. Cooper. And isn't
II fact that while there are fans
in the shop they just blow the dust
and dirt over the employees working
along the windowsT'
Mr.. Cady stated that he did not
think this was so.
Don't you think that women work.
ing At night should be paid more than
. those working during the day, which
10 not now the caseg" Mr.. Cooper
asked
Il think So" said Mr.. Cady.
Cssper s.ns up.
After further questioning. Mr..
Cooper summed up:
"Then you agree that the bags
should be washed: that women should
be paid more for night than for day
work, and that $l.75 q day is not a
fair salary for . woman doing this
kind OF work to receive?
"I am questioning you. Mr.. Cady,
merely to learn facts and nothing else
It Is the duty of this commission TO
get all the facts II can. i am not
criticising you. Congress is to blame
and no one else" Mr.. Cooper con-
cluded
John Amrein, superintendent Of the
Soldiers Home National Cemetery. in
presenting his Individual case for an
Increased salary, declared that his
present salary had been fxed by Con-
xress under act of 1872, which at that
time set $50 to SIS a month as COM
pensation for this class of Govern
ment employe-