The general conditions existing in the lodging houses were felt to be of sufficient importance by the city of Boston to warrant the appointment of a special commission by the mayor in 1908 to investigate "the alleged evils" (i. e., "injuries to morals and injuries to health"). (a) In regard to the latter the commission found, "that although the sanitary conditions of a majority of the lodging houses is good, that of a considerable minority leaves much to be desired." In regard to the moral evils, the report continues: "The commission is convinced that in this matter serious evils do exist and that the absence of a parlor is one of the causes of them." Owing to the difficulties in the way of immediately requiring a room to be set apart to be used as a parlor, by law, the commission recommended that action on this should be postponed. As a lodging house is now conducted the landlady's net profits are free rent of her own room and $150 per year. Any law requiring a parlor would make necessary a readjustment of rents, either of houses or rooms or both. The commission also recommended "that it be made the duty of the board of health to examine into the existence of the social evil in the lodging houses, and to take such measures toward its suppression as the protection of the public health may require. Second, that a law be passed, placing a penalty upon the owner of the lands in case of certain moral offenses in tenement houses or in lodging houses where decent people live." Of the Boston women without homes and reporting as to living conditions only 4 of the store employees (4.8 per cent) fall in the division with housing or food rated "bad." One store employee has housing alone rated "bad;" two have food alone so rated; and one had a rating of "bad" for both housing and food. The first three are earning an average of $5.31 weekly, and spending for shelter, food, heat, light, and laundry, $4.33, leaving less than $1 a week for all other expenses. The fourth earns $4.13 per week and spends $2.60. She is 20 years old and has had 9 years' schooling. Her entire balance and more, according to her story, goes for the support of needy relatives (page 87). The woman whose housing alone is rated "bad" is living in a private family in a dilapidated tenement, where she gets fair food, but occupies an inside room, insanitary because of lack of light and air. The two women whose food alone is rated "bad" are living in West End lodging houses and getting some of their own meals. One was sick for 12 weeks, which brought down her earnings, and she was living beyond her apparent income, probably in debt, or was spending even less for food than the amount reported. The fourth girl is living with her mother and a young brother. They a Report of the commission appointed by the mayor to investigate lodging-house conditions in the city of Boston. The are very poor and are doing light housekeeping in two rooms. mother goes out for the day and earns what she can. At the time of the investigation she was earning $2 per week. Annie, the girl, had been out of work for 9 weeks but was then earning $5. They were paying $3 per week rent for the rooms, which were very small, cold, and poorly furnished and in an old, dirty house. The mother said they never had enough for a good living or even a poor one, but lived on what they had. They had not been able to keep the rent paid for a long time. Twelve factory women whose food or housing was rated bad were earning an average of $5.49 and spending $2.44. This average cost of living is brought down lower than the normal by 5 women who are keeping house and paying an average of $1.45 for shelter, food, heat, light, and laundry, and contributing their margin to dependent relatives. These 5 women have 13 people dependent or partly dependent upon them for support. Four, or 3 per cent, of the factory women have both food and housing rated bad. Their average weekly earnings are $3.91, and their weekly outgo for food and housing $2.17. Their average age is 27.8 years, average schooling 6.5 years. Three were contributing to dependent relatives an average of $2.12 a week. One woman was contributing $3.50. The fourth woman was not contributing because her earnings had been cut down by a two months' lay-off and she was being partially supported by the family. These 4 people had 7 people dependent or partially dependent upon them. The woman contributing $3.50 was earning an average of but $3.45 and going in debt to this extent for her living expenses. Two dollars and fifty cents was what she paid to her landlady for the board and care of her two small children-that is, she paid this when she had it. Of the store employees, 83.3 per cent were living under "good" or "fair" conditions. Their average weekly earnings were $8.37. Their average weekly expenditure for shelter, food, heat, light, and laundry was $5. Their average age was 29.4 years, average schooling 8.3 years. These figures were nearly the averages for all store women in the city. Of these employees, 17.1 per cent were contributing an average of $2.01 weekly to needy relatives. One woman contributed $8. Of the factory employees, 74.6 per cent were living under "good" or "fair" conditions. Their average weekly earnings were $6.97 and average weekly expenditures $4.35. Their average age was 29.4 years, their average schooling, 7.9 years. From these averages it seems that to live under "good" and "fair" conditions it was costing store employees $5 per week and factory employees $4.35. These averages show less difference than the general average for the city, $5.05 for store and $4.18 for factory employees, which was brought down for the latter by the larger per cent living under bad conditions. The store women whose living conditions were rated as "good" or "fair" have an average balance of $3.37 weekly; the factory women with the same rating have a balance of $2.62 with which to meet all other expenses. This difference is, however, equalized by the greater demands on the store employees in the way of dress. Old clothes may be and are worn in the factory, but in the store a woman must be well and neatly dressed and not far out of the prevailing mode to hold her position. All except the small stores require a stipulated dress-black, or black skirts and white waists. Nearly all stores make an effort to help the girls in this matter by allowing them a discount on all articles purchased in the store. In Boston this discount ranges from 3 to 10 per cent. In one store a 20 per cent discount is allowed on all black wearing apparel purchased to be worn in the store. All nationalities represented by the investigation, except Italian, are found in the class ranked as "fair" and "good." Those rated "excellent" as to housing or food or both, were 11.9 per cent of the store, and 13.1 per cent of the factory employees. These per cents would have been nearly double but for the common practice of providing no parlor in the Boston boarding and lodging houses. Housing otherwise excellent, but providing no proper place for the entertainment of callers, was rated only good. The weekly earnings of the store employees whose housing or food was rated "excellent," averaged $10.13, the cost of shelter, food, heat, light, and laundry, $5.88. The average age was 26.1 years, the average schooling 9.2 years. Twenty per cent were contributing an average of $1.50 weekly to needy relatives. The factory employees with the same rating, earn a weekly average of $7.12 and expend weekly $4.90 for food, housing, and laundry. Their average age is 29.6 years and average schooling, 8.4 years. Contributions to needy relatives were made by 11.8 per cent. One woman contributed $3.50, another $2.08 weekly. All of the store women whose living conditions are classed as "excellent," were American, while of the factory women 50 per cent were Americans and 41 per cent were Irish. Comparing the figures for store and factory employees in the three classes, we notice that the range of earnings among the store employees is nearly twice as great as among factory employees. The store averages range from $4.13 under "bad" conditions, to $10.13 for "excellent" conditions, a difference of $6. The factory earnings range from $3.91 for the employees whose living conditions were "bad," to $7.12 for those who were living under conditions classed as "excellent," a difference of $3.21. This confirms what has been already pointed out, that the possible rewards of store life are greater than those in the factory. The store employees having the highest earnings are three years younger than the general average for store employees, and have had one year more of schooling, while factory employees are one year older than the general average. In store life intelligence and natural aptitude count for more than mere length of experience. Sixty per cent of the store women whose living conditions are rated as "good" and "fair," and 60 per cent of those rated as "excellent," were earning less than the general average for their respective ratings. Nearly 50 per cent of the factory women whose living conditions were rated as "good" and "fair," and 30 per cent rated as "excellent," were earning less than the average for their ratings. The methods by which these women earning below the average still maintained an average standard of living were as varied as human nature itself. Some had supplemental earnings, some were partially supported, some were in debt, others "managed." One saleswoman, earning $6.86 per week, was living under "excellent" conditions in a private family in Roxbury, where she paid but $3 per week. Another, earning $7, lived in a South End lodging house. She got one meal in her room, but even so spent $5 per week. She received about $5 per month from home. A woman whose average earnings amounted to only $4.81 was spending $8 weekly. She was a machine operator in a straw hat factory. Her schedule wage was $10 a week, but was brought down to $4.81 by lost time. During this enforced leisure she went to her home where she was under no expense. Her housing was rated "excellent," her food "good." She was living in a lodging house and getting her meals at restaurants. A drapery maker who formerly had a position paying $9 a week, lost this and for three months had been working for $7, which through lost time averaged but $5.92. Her weekly expenditure was $5.45. She told the agent she did not know how she was going to live on so little. A woman 55 years old had worked for 16 years in a bookbindery. Her schedule wage is $7 per week, but through lay-offs she has averaged but $4.58, for, by reason of her age, she is the first to be dismissed. Formerly she used to do housework during these dull periods, but found difficulty in getting even this, because people tell her she does not look strong enough. Her weekly expenses were $4.50. She had no one to help her. A machine operator in elastic goods was earning $6.20 and spending $4. Her housing was rated "good," her food "excellent." She, with four others, kept house in Charlestown. Three of these were working also, the fourth stayed at home and cared for the house. There were also several living in evident comfort without visibly adequate income. The influence of store life in general, including welfare work, is discussed in connection with the "Social environment of self-supporting women," but one store in Boston should be mentioned here, 49450°-S. Doc. 645, 61-2, vol. 5--7 because by a unique method of organization it strives to increase the efficiency of its employees and to enhance their social and business opportunities. All employees are members of a cooperative association. This has a president, council, and other officers elected by the members. There is a board of arbitration to which the employees are encouraged to appeal for adjustment of any difficulty in connection with their store work, such as questions concerning their wages, promotions, dismissals, missing sales slips, and the like. Through this association the employees obtain special prices from physicians, dentists, and oculists. Among its activities it conducts a library, charging the modest fee of $1 a year; a deposit and loan bureau, an insurance fund, and a lunch room. There are clubrooms where lectures, dances, and various entertainments are frequently given. The association has a real effect on the policies of the store. It has the power to make and change the store rules. On every rule book is printed: "Ignorance of the rules is no excuse. Know the rules and live up to them. You have the power to change these rules at any time if you can get a majority of your fellow-employees to vote with you at a meeting of the cooperative association." In 1908 Christmas Day fell on Friday and a mass meeting was called by the employees to consider the advisability of closing the store from Thursday night until the following Monday morning. At this meeting both the advantages-longer rest and the disadvantages the possible loss of trade-were presented. Later a secret ballot was taken and in accordance with the majority vote the store remained closed for three days. In addition to their wages the employees receive a commission of 2 per cent on all sales over a certain amount. The form of cooperation exemplified in this association is claimed to be sound business policy. The employees realize that their interests and the interests of the store are one. They are a part of the business. Three mornings a week classes are held in this store on subjects connected with the work, such as business methods and the psychology of salesmanship. For the past four years a class in salesmanship has been conducted by the Woman's Educational and Industrial Union. Two courses of three months each are offered yearly. Each is attended by about 30 young women from 17 to 23 years of age who receive instruction designed to increase their efficiency and to develop their individualities. They are instructed, also, in such subjects as English, arithmetic, hygiene, history of manufactured goods, art of politeness, and store diplomacy. Five stores, from which most of these young women come, pay annually from $250 to $500 toward the maintenance of these classes. Throughout the course young women spend the mornings in study and the afternoons at work in the stores. During this time they are paid $6 per week. |