The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-04-05
OFFICIALS HAVE
 HELP" PROBLEM
 IN WASHINGTON

A housewives union Is the latest activity of prominent women in D, C., among whom are Mrs. A. s. B1rleson, wife of the Post General Mrs. Joshua Willis Alexander, wife Of the Secretary of Commerce, and other cabinet mem bers' wives.
 With contracts between mistress ana maid. pledges of loyalty between employer and employee and specified hours "off'' for the domestics, society women and homekeepers of the capt- tal are seeking to solve the servant problem, Through the Housekeep- CTS Alliance the members hope for such success that their organization may become national in it's scope.
 Something had to be done about the servant problem in Washington, in the opinion of the women of the capital. Accustomed to doing things in a scientific manner, they decided that this greatest equation in house hold management should be solved in the same way. Chief counse1ors and members of the alliance are. such women as Mrs. Matthew T. Scott, hon orary president of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Mrs. Rose Gouverneur Hoes, a writer, now pres ident of the alliance. and Mrs, Ran doiph Hopkins. formerly of the Wouen's Employment Bureau of the United States Department of Labor.
 The alliance is based, first of all, upon the idea advanced by Mrs. Bur leson-a pledge of loyalty among housewives The plan of the organ izers is to make the union mutually beneficial to mistress and maid. Every member must pledge herself to be loyal to her maid and not to withhold good references for petty reasons when passing her servant on to her neighbor.
 It is the sentiment of the entire al liance that maids should have shorter hours. Some members have even gone so far as to propose an eight-hour day, but the majority hold this would be iInpracticabie-
 ''The employer and employee should agree upon the number of hours daily that the maid is to work and the evenings she is to have off" Mrs Bur 1eson said +%The mistress must keep good faith in this matter
 The key to the whole plan lies in fhe contract to be entered into when employment begins The housewife and maid must agree as to whether two weeks or 8 month'S notice is to be given should either be dissatisfied with the arrangement In case the employer discharges the maid without giving her the specified notice, the employer must pay an entire month s wages. If the maid quits without giving proper notice, the other mem bers of the union will be informed o1 her action, so that they will not give her employment
 A sliding scale of wages is to obtain in the union, pay being based upon the individual maids efficiency. The maid who has to be taught al the little niceties of the household by ] her mistress should not expect the wages which would be paid to a grad. uate of a domestic science school, | Mrs Randolph Hopkins said, in dis cussing this phase of the plan Fur 1 thermore, the housewives are not go ing to stand for an inefficient maiG 1 who declares, tOa, don't do 1aunder 1 ing,' or T cook, but don't wash dishes. l They admit that this is the age of in l dividuaHsm, but insist that a maid O all work should five up to her job
 It's case of playing the game as vel | as having the name'
 I model employment office where tn. 1 records of all applicants for servic I will be kept The office will be sup l ported by the dues or fees of tn members of the Housekeepers' Ali 1 ance. For tho maid who proves her
 self worthy, there will be a bonu
 from her employer at the end of years service and another bonus 0
 increase in pay after the second year
 The Ho0sekeap~ Alliance a1s plans to have trial kitchens in sorD
 central school fn the various district
 of the city These cenbers will b
 used for trying ogt'' apP2zcants fo
 service. This linking up with tn schools is expected Do eneourag
 young gHis to take up domesd science as profession.
 Housekeeping is a profession. and
 noble one, in the minds of the mem
 bers of the alliance. It is for tha
 reason that they are tying to estah
 fish more dignfhed relations betwee employer and employee. The employ
 CTS will be expected to treat their ser
 wants with consideration and not ''pro
 yoke them to wrath On the othe hand, the servants will be required t
 treat their mattresses with respect