The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-30
WORKING GIRLS ARE ACCUSED OF
 EXTRAvACANCE


 of it on fine apparel have attracted the attention of Uncle Sam, who is inclined to rebuke them for extrava- gance. Speaking for the Govern ment, Mrs Grace G. Bartlett, assist ant director of the United States Treasury Department and manager of the administration big thS.ft cam paign, said:
 '"The young girls who saved thei1 money during the war are now under going a period of reaction and are buying extravagant clothes more generally than the wealthier women, are buying the $25O coats, the $15O | dresses and the $40 hats" Mrs. Bartlett declared that the wealthy class of women are now the
 most economical buyers in the United | States.
 Recently the Womens Trade Un- l ion League took up the question of the extravagant dress of young girls on small salaries and voiced the sen timent that the girls had a right to spend their money on beautiful l clothes if they wanted to-" Mrs. Bart l lett continued. q agree with them. | The girl on the S1,50O salary has as | much right as the milIionaire's wife l to wear silk hosiery. She has as much right as the wealthy woman to show her beauty in a fur coat The point is-what is she going without | to buy these luxuries?'
 l Mrs. Bartlett said she wanted to I teach the young working girls two | things.
 q want them to write their sal- aries down on a slip of paper before l they start buying and figure how much they can afford for luxuries after they have bought the essen tials' she explained. "I want them when they do buy, to purchase only ] the very best. It is true that a high | priced article sells more readily than 1 a low-prioed article, because of the wrong idea of good values in the American mind today. I want every | girl to learn what good quality is and to demand it. I also want her to ask herself when she is buying an expen- sive article of dress whether there is not another of just as good quality l but lower price which will answer 1 her purpose as we'll"
 Most of the young women of Amer l ica buy with no thought of how a | garment is going to wear, Mrs. Bart l lett said
 ''I wish the mercnants would es- 1 tablish service bureaus in their stores where women might learn what good quality is," she continued. Dress shows character, and every girls duty is to look as beautiful as she can. But she must plan her expenditures as 8
 business man plans his outlay. Then in the end she can have the things
 she wants.'' In Mrs Bartlett's opinion the fire
 side sets the price. If American | women continue to demand showy tawdry, clothes, manufacturers vii
 supply them. If women demand sub
 stantials, they can get them.
 As the next step in the admins
 tration thrift campaign, Mrs. Bart
 lett is going to find out just how women spend their money. This sh' | is going to accom- plish by having then
 list their expenditures. She is work
 ing through women who are alread.
 organized The Association of Col
 Iegiate AIumnae, the Daughters O
 the American Revolution, the Genera
 Federation of Women's Clubs, the Ma
 tiona1 Catholic War Council, the Ma
 tionaI Congress of Mothers and Par
 ent-Teacher associations, the Nationa
 Federation of Business and Profes
 sional Women's Clubs, the Nationa League for Women's Service, tn Womens Department of the Civi ! FeQeraIlOn, ana Ine OuHS women Christian Association. Representa- tives of each of these organization will act as committee members direct
 ing the canvass of the test of expen ditures. The committee member will in turn report to the state chair man of thrift, appointed by head quarters.
 I've know that profiteering exist:
 but we don't know just where to pu our finger on it." Mrs Bartlett saiG '*We do know that the profteering O shoes is somewhere between the cow back and the rubbish heap. It is nov up to the individual woman to so1v her own economic problem by buyin } the right kind of shoes.
 eff we can teach American wome } thrift, it will do more than anythin else to better the national economi situation
 } Should a gentleman rise when