The Washington times., 1920-02-01

BY j. S. Jobs
Prospect of Position Where One
Must Work Fails to Interest
Federal Typists.

Employers all over the country have
watched with interest the office en-
ploye situation in Washington, where
it has been reported that thousands OF
girl stenographers and clerks would
be put out of work in few weeks,
But when Miss Il. Maxwell, super
visor OF employment for women TOT
the Goodyear Rubber Company
Akron, Ohio, came here to follow up
advertisements for high paid stenog-
raphers, here is the success she mad:
About twelve girls answered the ad-
vertisemcnts.
About seven made appointments 10
meet Miss Maxwell at her hotel.
About four will go to Akron TO
start work al s125 a month, with OPP
portunities for permanent and lucra-
tive positions OF responsibility III they
make good.
In Washington Government en-
ployes go to work at O'Clock ana
quit at 4:30; in Akron the working
day In offices begins at 1880 O'CLOCK
Must Work in Akron.
In Washington many of the ofnces
are run on a system that permits
much chatting among the employees
and occasional visits with persons
well, Miss Maxwell says they EN-
ploy girls to work. They provide
recreational and social facilities, but
for use outside of business hours.
And then, Washington Is Washing
ton, and Akron is Akron. You see
celebrities here, and you can write
home about your part in things about
which they read in the press dis
patches and society columns. Just
what your connection Is. OF course,
need not be definitely described at
that distance. In Akron. there may
be nice enough people. but they all
have something to do with the rubh"-
tire industry. ...
81 found plenty of girls here who
wanted to get out of the Government
offices before there came a reduction
in STAFF" said Miss Maxwell. put
there seemed to be some drawback.
at may have been the earlier office
hours, but I don't really think that
was the main consideration.
Girls Not Interested. "
'T think, with a great many OF the
girls, 1t was largely matter of not
liking to break their associations here
. and going to another city. where
could not disguise the fact that hous-
ing conditions are as difficult as they
have found here.
"But I think that much Of the diff
fcuIty lay In the fact that girls
generally do not look on salaried
po,ition as a permanent thing. They
often want to work for a few months,
or years, and marry.
"When our office manager adver-
tised for men in New York few
weeks ago he had more than 1000
replies. Men look on employment as
a life matter, study the possibilities,
and GO where they think the posi-
bilities are best ..... '.' '.'''' 49,
ar we had not been told or thou
sands Of girls in Washington facing
a termination of their positions, /
should not have been surprised at the
result Of this visit, because compe-
tent stenographers and clerks are
hard to get.
even at the advanced prices paid
today, we are kept busy all the time
recruiting the vacancies in our Of
fice staffs OF women. We employ
about 600 girls in the general Offices,
and as many more in the factory or
fices.
"As it is, would feel that my
trim to Washington was worth while
Just for one girl ] engaged. 1 don't
want to tell who she is or even what
department / got her from, but
consider her a md There are some
like that in the Government employ,
and 1 suppose there are thousands
who would not be suitable for steady
positions of responsibility.
at costs n good deal to secure en-
ployes and make them efficient. When
we get them, we try to keep them.
"As for the hours-an eight-hour
day is what workers must expect, and
gnh hpH nj
n few months ago the employees voted
to go back to 1880 oclock-it gave
them that much more time for shop
ping in the evening"