Evening star., 1937-10-06
MODELS DISPLAY
BUDGET ATTIRE At
HEARING ON WAGES
Employers Use Mannequins
in Claim Clerks May Dress
On S149.38 Yearly.
ARGUMENTS on COSTS
OF ITEMS RECORDED
Final Hearing by Board Tomor.
row to Consider Health, Rec.
reation and Transportation.

-Four living mannequins-for-t the
evening, dressed in s29.75 coats. So.
cent hose and s4 shoes, paraded be-
fore the District Minimum Wage
Board last night to support the claim
OF retail trade employers that the
average sales girl can do very nicely
on sl49.38 per year for clothes
The exhibit of feminine apparel. a
unique feature of the boards sixth
conference to determine what should
be the minimum wage for woman re.
tail clerks, also was watched with in
terest by representatives of EMPLOYEES
Who contend the average sales girl
should spend at least s466 per week
for clothes.
First in the parade of models. Miss
Elizabeth E. Malanply, showed a heavy
tan coat, with raccoon fur and rayon-
satin lining. 1t cost s2975, which is
the price the employers say a sales
girl should pay for a coat that will
last her two years. The girls say they
should be able to buy s3950 coat.
Hired TO Buy.
AS "dlsinterested parties" Miss Ma
lanply and the three other models
Mrs. N. Ford Carpenter, Mrs. Merle
Dickinson and Mrs. E. H. Brown
had purchased coats, dresses, shoes.
gloves, pocketbooks and other articles
they exhibited from local stores. OBJ
tanned for the work from the Public
Employment Agency, the women were
instructed to keep their outlay for the
clothing within the budget advanced
by the employers.
They showed ''dress-up" dresses
which cost $3.50. and work dresses for
which they paid s5.95. Work and
dress shoes. costing IS and s4 each,
respectively, handbags costing 81 each
were exhibited for the conferences
inspection. One by one the articles
were passed around the table at which
sat the members of the wage board,
three representatives of the employers.
three representatives Of the employees
and three representatives of the
public.
For two hours before the exhibit of
evidence. the conference members
fought over the budgets of the en-
ployers and the employees and then
decided to hold final public hearing
tomorrow night. Then it will meet to
determine what minimum wage should
be recommended.
Spectator Joins Discussion.
While the conference members ar
gued over the problem of Just how
many dresses the average sales girl
should buy each year and how much
she should pay for them, mild SEN
sation was created by some unsolicited
comment from spectator.
Some one had suggested the girls
might wear their better dresses for
work after they had outlived their
usefulness for evening wear. At this
point Joseph w. Leverton, who said
he used to be in the ready-to-wear
business, stood up and asked:
What is this conference trying to
do? See how cheaply they can dress
the average sales girl, or determine a
minimum wage?"
Mrs. William Kittle. chairman of
the board, explained what the confer
ence was doing
Well" responded Leverton. "I can
tell you from my experience that sales
girls can't display stylish clothes if
they aren't dressed stylishly them
selves"
AT this point J. J. Hasley, an
employer representative, moved that
LeVerton's remarks be stricken from
the record. At the boards suggestion,
Leverton said he would appear as a
witness at the next meeting.
Argue Over Item Cost.
Chief items of argument in last
nights discussion were the different
proposals advanced for the amount
to be spent for dresses, coats. shoes
and hosiery. For dresses, the girls
say they should spend s29.85 in the
Winter and s2280 in the Summer.
The employers say the figures should
be $19.85 and S1180.
AS for hosiery, the girls want to
buy two dozen pairs at 80 cents each.
while their bosses think they should
buy the same number, but at SO cents
per pair. The employees suggest a
total of s2975 for shoes; the employers
say it ought to be s18.
John j. Esch, representative of the
public. presided as chairman of the
conference. He said that at tomor-
rows meeting, other items, such as
personal care, health. recreation, saw
ings and insurance. church and char
ity and transportation will be taken up.