Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-30
GraveLaundry
Problem Here
Cited by owl
Finds Help Situation
Among Most Serious
In Entire Nation

In a report disclosing that 100
laundries in various parts Of the
country have been forced to close
due to lack Of adequate help, the
Once Of War Information said TO-
| day that Washington, with Its war
swollen population, lis one Of the
hardest hit"
Owl quoted 4 local newspaper as
saying: You don't have to be q
native Washingtonian to get your
laundry done, but 1t helps" The
report added:
'"The Capitals laundries claim to
have lost from 40 to as per cent of
their efficiency, one arm reporting
= labor turnover of 200 per cent
since the flrst Of the year and an
other 10 per cent in, 4 week. No
new customers are taken. As q re-
suit, there is the story of the six
day-a-week Government worker,
who can get no laundry to accept
her patronage, can buy no washing
machine or hand-wringer and who
does her entire household laundry
by hand on Sundays"
SEQ Workers Needed.
owl said 4 special drive launched
BY the United States Employment
Service through colored theaters,
churches and on the radio brought
the Washington laundries $50 work
ers. They claim to need 500" the
report added. And to add 10 their
difficulties, when 4 spell Of the
famous Washington summer wealth
er descends, many of their workers
stay at home"
Another development on the local
manpower front was announcement
by Fred Hetzel, District director Of
the War Manpower Commission, that
a drive sponsored by VINO and the
Employment Service would get
under way here by the middle of
next week in an effort to recruit 800
workers for the hotels.
Mr.. Hetzel made plans for the
campaign after comforting with
Vernon Banta, District director of
the Unemployment Service, and
Arthur J. Harnett, executive secre-
tary of the Washington Hotel Asso-
citation. Mr.. Harnett is working out
details of the hotels needs. All
types OF hotel help are needed
Women will be sought TO do work
formerly done by men, so far as
possible.
War Plants Draw Help.
Regarding the laundry situat ton
in general over the country, owl
pointed out that housewives and
laundry workers had gone off to war
plants. cutting down the amount of
laundry done at home and at the
same time pairing the number of
persons who do commercial washing
On top of this, Owl said gloomily,
clothes are dirtier than before, with
millions of employees getting creased
up in war factories. In San Diego,
an important aircraft center. so
much grease soiled clothing accu-
mulated that spontaneous combus-
ton resulted, causing a $50, 900 fire,
the agency said.
The Naval Air Station commander
in Hutchinson, Kans., appealed to
housewives to do their own washing
SO that the commercial laundries
could take care of his mems require
ments. Of1cers' wives were request
ed to do their husbands shirts, and
apparently believing that love con-
quers all, the commander suggested
the cadets ask their girl friends to
do the same.
A simple solution for the laundry
problem was advanced cautiously by
Owl, About IS per cent of all
laundry workers are women, so 1T
might seem that all that is neees-
sary to restore laundry service to its
former efficiency would be for more
women to take jobs in laundries.'