The Washington herald., 1920-11-09
WAGE PARLEY
TALKSPRUNES
Laundry Workers and Board
Argue About High
Living Cost.
NO DECISION REACHED
Employees Request for More
Money Delayed by "Ef-
6ciency Experts.

The connection between stewed
prunes and minknum wage for
women laundry workers of the Dis
trict is rather vague and ill-defined.
but the laundry conference Of the
District minimum wage board. meet
ing in the board room Of the Dis
trict Building yesterday, discussed
stewed prunes quite seriously,
Joseph A. Berberich. member Of
the conference and a well known To-
cal shoe dealer. voiced his aversion
to stewed prunes as a regular des-
sert. His words were:
ct don't see how a person could
live on that fare by the year"
Prunes As Dessert.
According to testimony presented
to the conference by Mrs. George
Cooke, prunes are served in all their
ebony glory to the boarders at a
Florida avenue boarding house. Bet
ter than that, the derided fruit is an
almost invariable dessert at the
house.
Mrs. Cooke presented her data on
prune consumption in Washington
after G. w. Barnett. manager of the
Manhattan Laundry, told the con-
ference of this house. where a room
and two meals a day-with prunes.
of course-are furnished for 81 a
week. Barnett said this to show that
the high cost of living in wash
ington was a neglible factor in the
civic life.
Mrs. Cook said that the house was
run chiefly for male students of
w-E- AaN
were allowed there and that the con-
ference was considering wages of
women only. The testimony of Bar
nett. therefore. she regarded as ir-
relevant.
Cost of women's Clothes.
Charles j. Columbus. secretary of
the Merchants and Manufacturers
Association. brought several boxes
conference. They were taken. by
permission. said Columbus. from a
local department store. Columbus
and B. l. Boggs. representing the
store wanted to show the board
that clothes women laundry work
ers should and could buy at low
prices
But it appeared, through Boggs'
statements. that the store kept oniy
a few of the low-priced models in
stock. Boggs recited the virtues of
each garment, but Ethel Smith. rep
resenting the public on the confer
once. was unable to find the virtues
uopn examining the goods.
John W. Lowe, president of the
Manhattan Laundry. entertained the
women present at the meeting by
inquiring:
.zz,. 49,. -
some not so heavy?'
And also:
as gabardine all WOOL"
He drew a blank when he SAID.
following an expression of opinion
by Miss Smith,:
Il would like to know whether
Miss Smith is an authority on
dresses?"
The Retort Courteous.
Il have worn dresses all my life"
she retorted. 'T think that puts me
in a position TO pass judgment on
the quality of dress goods"
The Rev. George A. Miller. confer
ence member. was the next victim of
Miss Smith. when he dared to ven
ture an opinion on one of the dresses
exhibited.
Miss Smith told the conference
that she thought 1t should not de-
liberate too weightily upon the
point of view of a man who does
not know how women do their
shopping"
GiggIes Predominate..
A number of colored women en-
ployes of laundries burst into dis
dainful giggles when one of the
81
a SIS satin dress for the theater
or evening wear" They did not
like any of the man-picked clothes
and were willing to say so.
All testimony was in at the close
of the meeting. The conference de-
ferred voting and hearing of argu-
ments from the 1aundrymen's and
the public's representatives until
November 10. A minimum wage
probably will be decided upon at
that meeting.