, 1935-03-29
The World
AT a Glance
BY LESLIE EICHEL
Central Press Staff WRITER

NEW YORK, March 20. = Social
workers have been telling us for
some time of slavery" undergone BY
some workers in private households.
Now the Women's City club OF
New York Is trying TO bring women
employers and workers together"
Testimony OF five workers who
spoke az the first meeting was not
favorable to employers.
A cook said:
Those engaged in my type OF
work live like slaves and work like
machines.
Il know women who have been so
strenuously overworked that they
have been carried out OF homes to
physicians offices. For fear OF los
ing their Jobs. they have been afraid
TO complain OF their long hours
Another speaker, a negro woman
said:
Household workers are seriously
hampered because they are not or
gained. The general worker should
have either one whole day to her
self or two half days. Furthermore,
she should be given n or two
hours every day TO do the most an
righteous thing a maid can dole
down
Other speakers urged a nine to-
ten-hour day, weekly rather than
monthly payments. and definite
hours OF leisure during the working
day.
I'm Moderate Circumstances
The most difficulty encountered by
domestic workers Is with housewives
who al barely afford one maid.
The wage may be as low as SO
a week. And time off is an unknown
quantity.
The question may be asked: Why
do persons work at such a place?
The answer Is: It's that. or star
vation-and the employer knows II.
Japan
There Is a var on with Japan now.
II Is a war that probably Is more de-
vastating than an actual local"
conflict in the Far East.
Great Britain and the United
States are blaming Japan. And ia
pan is blaming the British and the
Americans.
Japan Ii Selling the textile trade.
Lower wages. lower standard OF liv-
ing? Yes. But there is more 10 1t
than that.
Great Britain probably has not
kept pace with chronological devel-
opment. And prices OF raw cotton
have been too high for the British.
Japan seems TO have sensed where
inexpensive cotton may be obtained.
In the United States the situation
Is far more complicated. A process
ing tax is assessed against textile
manufacturers to maintain a peg
ged price for cotton. That simply Is
handing markets to Japan.
But Japan comes back at the Am
orleans and the British with an &C
cuSation that they are impoverish-
ing the best markets Japan has
chiefly China. The United States,
with its silver buying policy. has
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backing. And both Great Britain
and the United States have devalued
their c%urrencies. forcing cheaper
trade prices and sharper trade prac-
tees.
Down 90 all currencies in sym
pathy-and each monetary unit buys
less and wages either rise to meet
that or Gas in Japan do not rise
and living standards drop.
II japanese workers have lower
living standards, Japan blames IL on
the United States and Great Britain.
They. in turn. begin TO demand
that their own workers live on less.
so business can 20 ahead"
And II japan taxes over British
and American textile trade. II asks:
What else can We do, TO make ends
meet. since the currency war you be-
gan impoverishes our normal mar
ketS?"
II is a dizzy dance OF death.
The solution can come only with
a world agreement to stabilize cur
rencies. exchanges. tariffs.