The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1920-07-10
Concerning the Clio sing
Of Montgomery w ards
LaSalle Street Office
Investigation of Urban League.)

Because of the number if inqui-
ries and speculations, the Chicago Ur
ban League has made an nvestiga-
ton to determine the cause of clos
ing the LaSalle Entry Office at Mont
gomery Ward g. Company, where un-
til recently, there have been employ
ed about TOO colored girls doing of
/ flee work. 1t occurs TO US that it is
very necessary that the public have
an adequate and exact knowledge of
the reasons for closing this office,
! because of the many rumors that
have been circulated in regard TO this,
These rumors will be injurious to the
future opportunities of the girls un-
less the facts are known, because it
/ is known that other firms are consid
ering favorably similar offices. These
| facts given out by officials of the
company are substantially these,
which are corroborated by state
ment given each girl to serve as
recommendation for her future en-
ployer:
! Officials of the company state
i that the office closed absolutely with
out prejudice to any girl or group
of girls employed by them. 1t has
been known to our organization as
carly rs February /, that the COM
pany's lease expired on May l. 1920
and that they would not be able to
renew it, There also seems to have
been joker in the terms of this
lease which brought about serious
complications between the lessor and
lessee which were eventually settled
with difficulty. The company stated
that they would secure another Office
if a suitable location could be had
Just what has been done to find a
new office site is not known to the
League.
The opening of another office on
the North Side in which white girls
were employed caused considerable
unrest in the La Sale Office and
various rumors developed, none of
which have been substantiated. The
company now operates this small
Office on the North Side and employs
about 200 white girls. 1t is explained
by one of the managers that the com
pany was forced to take this step to
relieve congestion in the main
building which has now become the
"home office" of the company's bust
ness.
About February LIST, Montgomery
Ward Il Company opened an Entry
Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
similar to the one now operated in
Kansas City and transferred large
part of it's management there to
take care for its northwest territory.
This office will considerably reduce
the work in the Entry Department
and it is proposed that very little of
this work be done in the general
office here in Chicago. This arrange
ment therefore, relieved the neces-
sity for the existence of the La Sale
Entry.
In view of the two disturbances
which resulted in designations of the
chief supervisors, Misses Thompson
and Beale, it is perhaps important to
state that the officials of the COM
pany claim that these affairs had
nothing to do with the discharging
Of their colored clerical force.
The superintendent of expense
and personnel who gave much of this
information has always maintained a
high regard for and special interest
nathc LaSallc Entry Office, said it
was the desire of Montgomery Ward
& Company to have each of these
girls leave their employ with the kind
liest feeling in order that the com
pany may re-employ them should it
SO desire. No definite statement was
obtained as to whether the office
would be re-opened or not.