San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-07
Majority Of Those Taking
Part in Proposed Confer
ence Not Workers but
Are Interested in Labor
Problem.
BY CAROLYN VANCE.

Copyright, lyZJ, Dy Inc San AnIOHlo LIbhe'
Washington, ID. C., Jan. 6.--With
jeweled gestures and in precise mel
lifIuous English, the plight of the work
ing girl will be discussed at the con-
ference called by the woman's bureau OF
the Department of Labor in Washing
tons January IL and continuing three
days.
The voices raised in that conciaye
will be, for the most part, the cool and
cultured accents Of the women of wealth
who have made a fad of the working
girl; the calm, assertive tones of the
clubwoman. who had the price Of rail-
road fare to Washington, while Occa-
sionally the naive, slangy phrases of the
honest-to-goOdness working girl will
make themselves heard.
Only about dozen hard-handed
daughters of toll" it was admitted at
the woman's bureau, will be present at
the conference, which hopes TO solve
some problems of the woman in indus
try. The rest of the 300 delegates TO
the conference will represent 81 national
organizations of women end will include
Mrs. Thomas G. Winter, Mrs. Maud
Woodpark, Mrs. Izetta Jewell Brown,
Mrs. Florence Kelly and other nation
ally known organization women, while
there also will extremely wealthy wom-
en- there like Mrs. Clifford Pinchot,
Mrs. Medill Mccormick and Mrs. Ray
mond Robbins, who are deeply interest
ed in welfare legislation for women
workers.
VIII Hear Working Girls.
The greatest fuss will be made over
the twelve working girls. They will
be listened to with the most rapt at
tention. though they may not be as
fluent as some of the more experienced
public speakers.
Julia O'Connor will tell the woes of
the telephone operators. It is seldom
indeed that one really hears "central's"
side of the argument since she is re-
quired never to talk back in her job.
Melinda Scott is a hatmaker. She will
tell of the hardships in turning out,
via the sweat shop route, the delectable
CONNECTIONS that women dote on. Each
industry has its problem to be smoothed
out and Leona Graddick, q bindery
worker, will tell of hers; Elizabeth
Christman will recite the troubles con-
nected with the manufacture OF gloves,
while Rose Schneiderman will give some
inside information of the clothing in
dustry.
The story of Sarah Greene, waitress,
is expected TO be interesting. The LOT
Of the waitress has been dilated upon
in fiction to almost as great an extent
as that of the chorus girl, but no one
has yet brought out the fact that the
professional waitress is more subject Il
nervous trouble than the women occu'
/ pied in other lines There is more sick
ness proportionately among Mattresses
Il is one Of the hardest jobs there is
says Miss Ethel Smith, not excluding
even the jobs in which men are en-
ployed.
Some classes Of workihr women will
be poorly represented indeed, particu
larly stenographers and domestic ser
wants.
! StenOgraphers Isolate Selves.
"Partly because of the snobbish at
titude of stenographers and partly be
cause of the isolation of their work
they are the hardest class of working
women to do anything for. and yet
they are the most exploited" said Miss
Smith, who is one Of The leaders o.
1.-The woman's National Union League, Al
organization which is working hard fol
the success of the Washington confer
ence today.
"A stenograher customarily is no
paid for overtime work, though she il
expected TO be on hand just as loni
as her employer feels it necessary. i
she had little sense Of class solidarity
she would get better pay. Her worl
requires as much skill as that Of I