Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-20

the pricas n the rooms listed" says Miss
Ethel Hanks, direstnf a the bureau.
Rooms Ase Just about twice ~ expensive
~ they wers two yeArs ago. In 1916 the
avorA8e prios of : rented room in New
York VA six dollarp = week; now il is
twelve But there are not nearly enough
rooms ~ twelve dollars . week available.
Many working women who really cAnnot
AFFORD IL are renting rooms nt fifteen and
eighteen dollars = week, because they feel
that they must maintain their standard Of
living, but they arc having ~ cut down On
food and other csecntials in order to do
it,"
When the applicant reaches the bureau,
which is ON the second floor OF the Y. w.
9. A. building ut Fifty-tbird and Lcxing-
ton avenue, she IL given . brass check
bearing . number, and told 10 wait until
this number is called, ms there are usually
from one To two dozen applicants ahead of
her. The wait is, indeed, often long and
tedious, since each girl must be extensively
interviewed by an officer of the bureau be-
fore her request u plnccd on file. This fnot
may account for one IAdy's mislntcrpretA-
ton Of the bureaus sign plaocd con-
spicuo,nly on the wall To guide strangers.
The sign reads. Get check and wait
YUuJ bufDs IgiipW CIs7Shg DIbG NVCR ~ iSfsSs
Green check, over one week" The dif-
fcrcnt colors are To separate permanent
dwelcrs from transicnts, but the other
day, after waiting considerable length
Of time, middlc-aved woman approached
an officer Of the bureau with q distressed
look on her face and said, NOW does tins
sign mean | must wait week before you
can give me q room2'
Part OF the bureaus staff is always out
on what is called field work that is,
the investigation Of various houses report
ing rooms for rent 10 the bureau. Thus,
when the bureau tells girl IL can give her
room at twelve dollars n week, IL knows
exactly what that room contains, even TO
the wall paper and the number Of lighting
fixtures; which IS fortunate, because GONE
of the applicants are very fastidious IN
their requirements. One stenographer
who came 10 the bureau with definite
ideas as 10 what she wanted for the price
she coCld afford 10 pay, was served by six
different interviewers, and inspected 4S
different rooms before she announced her
gelf satisfied.
ADJUSTING DIFFICULTIES.
In addition TO its roorn-renting service,
the biiressl acts as q court of arbitration
utAWeSH HAfu ihuleS ana tltclF DoAfrGfet
attempting 10 adjust the many difficulties
which are constantly arising between the
two factions. Sometimes il is a border
who protests thn. her room is cold, and
again il is a land lady who claims tha,
her boarders are using too much gas and
Miss Hanks has also recently
started q sort Of housekeepers' club, which
meets once a month at the Y w. G. A.
headnllarfere for the r,slyyyose Of acCfiaiuf-
ing lsnd ladies with the latest facilities
for housekeeping and with advice as 70
renting rooms. Columbia University is
with the bureau m supplying
lecturers on house furnishings and interior
decorating, while the officers of the bureau
manage to give the meetings friendly,
informal atmosphere by serving tea and
As q result Of these meetings. the bureau
notices slight Improvement in the reia-
tions Of the boarders and houseseercrs on
their lists. Many bousekeepers have re-
Gently begun to exhibit personal inter