Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-19
CONTINUES ATTACK
ON TYP|ST POOLS
Mrs. Worrell Quotes Letters
From Girls Who Are Afraid
to Say a Word"

The statement By David n Blsir
commissioner Of internal revenue, that
his investigation had shown that the
suicide of Miss Dorothy n. Sherlock, \
stenoGrapher employed in pool In
his department. was in no way due 10
the conditions under which she worked.
drew more fire yesterday from Mrs.
Margaret Hopkins Worreh, president 81
the newly organized League Of the
American Civil Service.
Mrs worrell quoted from letters
which she SAID she had received from
girls who work in the pools in which
they ieplored the system Of efficiency
ratings and characterized the plan as
sweat shop"
4 do moi care TO engage III con-
troverSy with an official or other Gov
eminent employe. Mrs WorreuS state
ft1ent declared However,. wish TO say
that nv statements concerning The un-
hearsble working conditions in the Gov
eminent departments. sn6 the TYRANNY
es practiced on employees by petty chiefs,
we're not directed at any particular OFF,
sial or individual but were made III con-
demnstlon of the efficiency rating Sys-
TEN. Of which the inhumsn pools are
= part.
From Personal Contact.
The statement that the deplorable
death Of Miss Sherlock, a Stenogre pheY
and typiS; III the Bureau of Internal
Revenue. was not trsceshle directly To
the grind and noise of the pools is
beside the question.
One Of the objects for which our
organization was established is to
abolish the cruel and inhumsn pools
among the many other evils that have
grown up under the efficiency rating
system
My knowledge of these conditions
comes from personal observation and
written and oral testimony of those who
work IN the pools
II quote excerpts from letters ! have
received from girls who work IN the
pools Miss A. says. At the pres
ent time We are required to type seven
hours day. making an average Of
about g pages an hour. regardless OF
poorly written work, heat and noise.
If We rest few minutes ouT average
suffers. therefore We receive poor
efic1encv rating,
Got Low Rating.
We we're told that the quality Of
cur work counted great deal more
TRAN quantity. However. the quality NJ
my work was good. but the quantity
was not as high as number Of the
other typistS Therefore, / received an
efficiency rating in the seventies. after
working as hard as could,
We are shown no consideration
whatever: we are considered machines.
get out the work, keep going. while the
higher officials Supervisory sit at their
desks and look busy and try TO think
m something TO speed up the work. AS
the result of all this number of girls
have broken down trying to- keep up
with the average
Another girl says:
II have been a stencgrapher in
Government service in Washington for
the past Il years and can vouch for the
sweat-slaop conditions existing AZ all
times for stenograpfers. am
: nervous wreck but afraid To say a
word
Office Unbesrable."
still another says:
- said to q friend the other night,
that found the Office unbearable where
I work she said that she was
isbortnc under the same dificulty. She
happens 70 work III the same bureau as
the girl who committed suicide.
can thoroughly understand that one
vrruic be tempted TO commit suicide as
the only way out but in my case ! lack
she physical courage, There Is
much TO say that cannot all be said. 1t
goes constantly from bad 70 worse.
And I feel that I viii end up terribly i!
have 70 stay here until l do. Ny
nerves are worn to fragile.
The admission that there is room
for improvement" in stenographic pools
h ample justification for what ! have
said regarding them.
IF the heads of departments snr
bureau chiefs could but learn the actua