The Washington herald., 1920-01-02
Uncle Sam Is Biggest
Of Sweatshop Operators
Anywhere in Country
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these at least 1900 will come within
the 81 $50 salary basis.
The amount as given is at the rate
of 50 a day. as fixed in the Nolan
Minimum Wage bill. which has been
before Congress since 1913, Although
passed twice by the House OF Rep
resentatives the compensation has not
been changed, although the cost of
living during that time has increased
approximately 100 per cent. The 81, go
is just $40 more than the Associated
Charities charity budget" for a fam
lily of five. and it is S1.ls2.4 less than
the Bureau of Labor statistics theo-
retic allowance for a similar family.
In the original (AugusO estimate
the Commission showed that ssh la
borers came within the terms of the
Nolan bill, that 5.279 clerks were af-
fected, as were also 2.24s messengers,
LIB watchmen, 1.27l printers and print
ers' helpers. 1895 stenographers and
typists, 1876 teachers. 173 telephone OPP
orators. go librarians and library
clerks. $50 charwomen. besides sew
eral hundreds other employees.
In the Treasury Department alone
there are more than 10000 affected by
the minimum wage bill. In mass.
the greatest grievances are to be found
in divisions connected with the de-
partment which controls the money
market of the world.
Sweat shop Pay.
Congressman will have a chance to
read statements and briefs detailing
pay and working conditions which
hearers did not believe existed out
side the sweatshop districts of large
cities. They will find that several
hundred counters in the Treasury
Department draw down munificent
yearly salaries OF from $40 to 81 300.
The latter figure is the maximum al
lowed under the law for a class OF
workers who are employed in the
redemption divisions, where the
money handled totals into the bill
lions.
In the money division, where worn
and mutilated currency is handled
ninety-two counters dispose Of 10000
pieces each day. which In value
amounts to about s40o, 00O.Ooo a year.
They are absolutely responsible for
every error made and while nimble
fingers go through the piles of filthy
and defaced certificates they must
detect every counterfeit. raised. can
celled or mismatChed bill. II they
do not it is C, "ged up against their
SALARY"
For instance. it was unofficially
brought to the attention of the
commission that one woman get
ting 5000 a year was charged up
with a miscount of 5000. The
counter stoutly maintained she
had made a correct count. but
still the 1000 was missing. Event
ually the bank from which the
original package came notified the
Treasury that the missing money
had been found in its own vault.
The mere mechanical handling of
almost 10000 separate pieces a day
Is OF considerable consequence and
in itself indicates that the worker
has little time to examine ques-
tionable bills. Consequently. de-
lection Of fraudulent currency must
be almost by intuition. and this
faculty is developed from expert
ence almost to the degree of
science.
Experts Are Required.
One woman detected a counter
felt SO note. 1t was an expert
piece of workmanship. so it was
turned over to the intelligence de-
partment
A Secret Service man took the
bill and in turn presented 1t to
twenty bank tellers. He received
good money I'm exchange for 1t from
nineteen, and yet the counter
spotted 1t the first time she saw IL.
The integrity of these workers
was strikingly brought out by
Charles J. Gates, chief Of the re-
demption division, in presenting a
brief to the commission. He told
how. time and again, extra bills.
sometimes amounting to several
hundred dollars in one bundle. are
found. Ordinary honesty alone pre-
vents the counter from keeping the
money and consequently thousands