Evening star., 1938-01-30
MARKED RISE SEEN.
|NW0MEN'SWACES.
ASDECIS|ON NEARS
Board Meets Tomorrow to
Seek Final Basis for Res
taurantS and Hotels.
LAUNDRY FIRMS NEXT
IN PARLEY SCHEDULE
February IA Date Mandatory for
District-Report Contrasts
Pay Now and in 1928.

Increases in basic wages for many
women employed in Washington was
envisioned last night by the Labor
Departments Women's Bureau as a
result of operation of the District S
revived minimum wage law.
The bureau declared that since re-
tail clerks generally were paid less
than the SIT basic wage recently or
dered by the board, 1t would mean a
general increase among them. It
added that an even more startling"
change in pay status would result for
mattresses and other workers in hotels
and restaurants if anywhere near q
SIT minimum were fixed
The District Minimum Wage Board
will meet tomorrow with a conference
committee to seek final decision on the
naslc wage for restaurant. hotel and
boarding house women workers. Later
1t will take up the problem of women
workers In laundries and dry cleaning
establishments.
Mandatory February IA.
The SIT minimum wage for retail
trade women workers will become
mandatory February IA. The Wom-
ems Bureau said this decision would
mean a decided break" for workers
IN the limited-price stores. It re-
ported that its surveys showed regu-
larly employed saleswomen in such
stores here in 1887 averaged $3.50 a
week; that half received less than this
sum and half of them more.
A report of the Women's Bureau,
just published. shows pay of clerks
IN the limited-price stores to have
been extremely low" 1t added:
Not one woman sales clerk in the
Imlted-price stores surveyed in 1887
was paid as much as $3.50 a week,
the minimum wage for such employees
IN effect prior to 1928 Moreover, SO
per cent OF the women received less
than SIS a week and half of them had
earnings of less than $3.50 a week.
Ihree in five worked the full legal
limit In the Districts hours a
week-and averaged only s13. "+'
Dry Cleaning Wages.
Women laundry and dry cleaning
workers under the old Minimum Wage
Board ruling were to receive SIS a
week as minimum wage. The Wom-
ems Bureau found in 1897 that seven
tentns OF the women in dry cleaning
establishments and nine-tenths of
those IN laundries were paid less than
SIS week.
The former Minimum Wage Board
established rates only for the mercan-
tile. hotel and restaurant, laundry.
dry cleaning and printing and pub
Ilshlng industries. The present Dis
trict Minimum Wage Board will set
up minimum wage rates for all groups
of workers that appear to need such
protection. with the exception of do
mestic servants and Government work.
ment workers. The Women,s Bureau
report shows that women factory work.
ers and Office workers in some branches
OF private employment in the District
are just as much in need of wage pro-
lection as most retail saleswomen
Earnings of Office workers in the dry
cleaning establishments visited, for
example, averaged $3.50 a week
Earnings Of factory workers included
IN the survey averaged sl3.35 a week.
Highest paid workers surveyed we're
IN the telephone service. The average
weekly wage of Office workers in the
telephone service was $25.38 and of
telephone operators, $2203. Beauty
operators IN stores had the next high
est average weekly wage, $1965, fol-
lowed by non-office employees in ready
to-wear shops, 1880, and women en-
ployes Of beauty shops not in stores,
$l7.80."