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incurred through my fault, and I hereby expressly authorize you to deduct and retain the amount of such charges and claims from any salary which may be due to me.

INQUIRIES.

(Signed)

Are you in good health?

When were you vaccinated?

By whom? Are you addicted to the use of intoxicant liquors? Who are dependent on you for support? Would you report to the superintendent any act or conduct of your fellow employee which you consider against the interests of the house? Have you had State street department store experience? —. Have you ever been in the employ of ?

Office of the Superintendent.

(By whom engaged)

The store woman must be neatly dressed, usually in a black suit or a black skirt with white waist. There is a difference of opinion among the girls as to whether this stipulated dress entails extra expense. Some girls say: "As long as I must wear something, black costs no more than colored materials." Others say that black, to look well, must be of better quality, consequently of more expensive material, than colored cloth. One very intelligent young woman said: "If I do not wear black for dress occasions, I can not use my best clothes for store wear the second year unless I have them dyed; and yet I do not want to wear black all the time. Consequently, the stipulated dress does entail extra expense." In any case the cost of clothes for one who must always appear trim and well dressed is higher than when one can wear old clothes of whatever make or color. Women in department stores are given a discount on personal purchases, which reduces this extra expense, the discount varying from the usual 7 per cent on regular stock to 20 per cent on certain high-priced goods. As a rule it is not given on "special-sale goods." While many said there was an advantage gained by using the discount, as many others said they could do better by buying at "special sales" in their own or other stores. Another drawback to the use of the discount arises from the fact that employees frequently dislike to sell to one another at a discount because such sales show no profit on their books, thus adding nothing to their daily record. For this reason, some women prefer to buy at other stores or to let the discount pass.

The Illinois statutes contain a law requiring employers to provide seats for women employees. Many of the department store employers obey this law to the letter. They provide seats. But the seat does not help a woman much unless she is allowed to use it. Most of the women say that they are closely watched, and are reprimanded by the floor man of their section if they sit down, even though they are not busy. Occasionally one hears of a floor man who proves an exception to the rule. In certain sections, however, such as high-class millinery or suits and cloaks, where seats are abundantly provided for patrons, one frequently sees the saleswoman seated when not occupied with a customer. One girl in the drug department of a certain store said to the agent: "In our section there is one seat for five girls. A girl may sit on it-if she can get it away from the head of the section, who uses it most of the time when there is no rush." In one of the leading stores a certain section was provided with seats, in compliance with the Illinois statute. The head of the section is a very young man. He solved the problem by circulating among the women a paper upon which they were asked to sign a statement that they would not use the seats. The majority, fearing the loss of their positions, signed the circular.

In addition to the regular hours of work nearly all women are required to do "overtime work" in busy seasons, such as Christmas, before special sales in their departments, and when inventory is taken. A woman in charge of the section may have to remain frequently after the store is closed. The average amount of "overtime" is 24 hours, exacted within a period averaging 214 weeks. In 60 per cent of the cases, however, the "overtime" work is done within a period of from 1 to 3 weeks before Christmas. Some of the stores are open every night (except Sunday night) from 10 days to 2 weeks before the holidays. In these stores the girls generally work at night for a week to prepare for the rush. In cases where the girls remain until 10.30 p. m., 11 p. m., or midnight, an effort is sometimes made to relieve the strain by allowing them to report from one-half hour to one and a half hours late the next day. This does not always happen, however. Even in the stores that are closed to patrons after 5.30 p. m. the girls do overtime work at this season. chief hardship of this extra work arises from the necessity of standing throughout such a long day-11 or 12 hours, and in extreme cases even 14 hours. More than one woman reported spending all of Christmas Day in bed as a result. Supper, or supper money, ranging from 25 to 50 cents, if she is a saleswoman, is the usual compensation for overtime work. In the alteration and millinery departments, where overtime work is required for from 4 to 6 weeks in busy seasons, a regular rate per hour, sometimes higher than the schedule rate, is paid. In one store a "gift" of $5 is given at Christmas to all employees who have worked in the establishment a year or longer. If, however, a girl loses 1 day of the week preceding Christmas this "gift" is not forthcoming.

The

After a woman has been employed a year or more she generally receives a vacation of 1 week "with pay." In some of the stores she receives 2 weeks "with pay" after the second year. In others, she never receives over 1 week, and that on condition that she takes another week "without pay."

In case of illness a few firms pay the entire wage, or part of it, for a limited period, the longest being 6 weeks. In some stores a benefit association, supported by dues contributed by the employees, pays a stipulated amount during illness, this being graded according to the wage. Membership in these associations is generally compulsory.

Most of the stores provide separate lunch rooms and toilet rooms for women employees. Rest rooms are provided by some, these being comfortable and attractive to a tired girl. Many of the stores also have a sick room with a bed and medical supplies which a girl may use if ill. In some cases there is a nurse or physician in attendance. This is not usual, however.

The average cost of food, shelter, heat, light, and laundry (a) for women adrift is $4.77. As already explained it was considered best to find the cost of clothes indirectly after eliminating other expenses. This policy was adopted because of the extreme difficulty of getting accurate statements in regard to this element of expense. In order not to frustrate the ultimate purpose of the investigation by too greatly taxing the patience of those upon whom it depended for accurate information, the cost of clothes was ascertained by process of elimination. The average earnings being $8.17, the cost of food, shelter, etc., $4.77, the amount left for clothes, car fare, recreation, illness, or other emergencies and all incidental expenses is $3.40. For car fare to and from their work 80.5 per cent of the women spend an average amount of 59 cents per week. It is very difficult for these girls to find respectable living conditions within walking distance of stores, and this added expense cuts down the amount, for four-fifths of them, to $2.81 for clothes, recreation, possible illness, or other emergencies, and incidental expenses.

Only 23.6 per cent of all the adrift women contribute an average of $2.77 a week to needy relatives. This average is somewhat distorted by the fact that two of the women included are supporting five dependent persons, their average contribution being $8.80. Eliminating their contribution, the average falls to $2.29. A number of those who contribute are widows with children dependent upon them. Three sisters are sending a young brother through college. One young girl, whose health is constantly threatening to give way, is spending only 2 or 3 cents daily for her luncheon; and her companions do not know that it is because her $6 wage is helping to support her mother and a younger sister who live in the country at

home.

a In 7 per cent of the cases laundry expense was not stated.

A very small proportion-only two girls are spending money for night school.

Of department-store women adrift, 34 per cent are spending an average amount of 28 cents for amusement. This does not mean that the remaining 66 per cent have no recreation. Many are entertained in various ways by friends. "I have a gentleman friend who takes me" is a frequent answer. The theater furnishes the chief form of recreation. Amusement parks, dances, and 5-cent theaters are likewise attractive to the young women. The less popular forms are concerts, entertainments of various kinds, trips to the country, and trolley rides. Sometimes in reply to the question in regard to recreation a girl answers: "I never go anywhere except to church. It costs me 10 cents for collection." No flippancy is involved in this answer. In her church attendance she is satisfying both her social and religious instincts.

Finally, the table (p. 52) shows the per cent of both store and factory women adrift who were boarding in private families, the per cent keeping house, and the per cent in regular boarding and lodging houses and in organized boarding homes.

Women in factories, mills, etc., the second group shown on the table, are employed chiefly in establishments engaged in the manufacture of men's and women's clothing. There is such a multiplicity of industries in Chicago, each industry employing several hundred women and all industries demanding from their employees similar mental and physical equipment, that the majority of them have been grouped under the term "Miscellaneous." They manufacture or pack such things as bakery goods, groceries, candies, teas, coffees, tobacco, cigars, drugs, perfumes, and medical, electrical, and jewelers' supplies, paper boxes, hardware, and articles of personal adornment not included under "men's clothing" or "women's clothing."

The "piece-rate" method of compensation prevails in a very large number of manufacturing industries, particularly in the garment trades.

If the season is good and the demand for the factory's product is great, a woman doing piecework will be allowed to work at full speed throughout the day. If, however, there is little demand for the product, she will not be allowed to "turn out" more work than is needed. Her earnings will then fall. "Piece workers" rarely maintain their maximum for any great length of time.

The average weekly earnings for all the women of the factory group visited, both at home and adrift, are shown to be $7.25. Of the 308 reporting average earnings, 91, or 29.5 per cent, are getting under $6 a week; 95, or 30.7 per cent, are getting $6 but under $8, and 122, or 39.6 per cent, are getting $8 and over, with an average of $10.10 a week. Approximately one-half of these women are earning less than the group of women who were managing to live under "fair" or "good" conditions.

Overtime work is required in busy seasons. As a result of the recent panic, some establishments were not able to "run" even full schedule time (54 to 60 hours) at any period in the year of the investigation. Few, if any, of them required as much overtime as in other years. The average overtime, as represented by the girls' schedules, was 46.5 hours in an average period of 15 weeks.. Of the girls having this average, 50 per cent did the overtime work within a period of 3 months, averaging 43 hours each. Overtime work in factories is paid for at the regular piece rate for pieceworkers, or frequently at "rate and a half." The average amount paid was 55 cents a week for 15 weeks.

Of the women working in factories and similar establishments, 16.4 per cent are adrift. The average weekly earnings for the women at home is $7.26, which is 79 cents under the earnings of the department-store women living at home. The difference is probably due in part to the fact that while the rate of payment in factories is frequently higher than in the stores the greater irregularity of the working season in manufacturing industries reduces the actual earnings to the lower level. It must also be recognized that the recent business depression has exaggerated this irregularity in factory work. To be sure, both factories and department stores have had to curtail expenses by reducing the working force, but department stores must carry on their business through 6 days of the week, while factories can lose 1 or more days, if necessary.

Of the factory workers at home, 81.3 per cent give their entire earnings to the family fund. The average amount paid is $5.71. Of the different nationalities represented in both groups, the largest proportion retaining part of the wages is among the Swedish, i. e., 44 per cent. They are followed by 42 per cent of the English, 34 per cent of Irish, 26 per cent of the American, and 25 per cent of the Germans.

The average weekly earnings of the factory workers adrift are $7.23. As will appear by reference to the table, these figures do not include the earnings of women employed in packing houses. It has seemed best to treat these women separately-first, because no data were obtained for packing employees living at home; second, because while their rate of pay approximated that of the rank and file in factories, the greater irregularity of work reduces their actual earnings to such a degree as to distort the general average representing all the other industries, and, third, because the cost of living and living conditions in "Packingtown" are so unique as to demand a separate treatment.

49450°-S. Doc. 645, 61-2, vol. 5--8

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