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Show THE CONSUMERS' LEAQliC Want a SeoaibU Womu'i Organisation la Doing for Shop Girls. A little over a year ago a mass meeting was held nt C bicker lug ball under the auspices of the Working omea'i soolety for the purpose of establishing what is now known as the Consumers' league, an organization or-ganization declaring Us object to b "to ameliorate the coudition of the women and children employed in the retail mercantile houses of t bis city by patronizing so far as practicable only such houses as approach in t heir conditions to the 'standard of a fair bouse" as adopted by the leagua, and by other methods." The principal officers of the league are Jlrs. Charles Russell Lowell, president; Mrs. Charles S. Spofford, treasurer; Miu Culdwell, recording secretary, and Mm. Robert V. McKim, corresponding secretary; secre-tary; and these women have succeeded during their twelve mouths of oflWe tn rendering ren-dering very efficient aid to women employed em-ployed in shops. For a time it was up hill work; first, to Induce employers to believe that they wara treating t heir employes badly, and then to ; elicit from them a promise to change their method; but business lnon are not unjust I mid ban! hearted, and one by one they are gradually showing their willingness to Be I the matter in the right light. Besides, a large number of women la I Now York who do much shopping have 1 put their shoulders to the- wheel In order to force out of existence this form of oppression op-pression to nhop employes, and this action bus even more weight with the shopmen, strange ns it may seem, man mis the moral side of the question the awakening to the seiiHe of injustice. The names of a few of the firms were to i be had at once, and these were Issued by j the Consumers' leiiguo in the shape of a "white list" for the benefit of the shoppers interested in the reform. This list is being added to each month, and it is hoped in the end that all the retail establishments will : sign t he paper. I The standard of a "fair house" Is "One is j winch eiual pay is given lor wuiW ui.euutu ) value, irrespective of sex; in the depart-I depart-I ments where women only are employed, I in which the minimum wages are six j dollars per week for experienced adult j workers, but fall in few instances below be-low eight dollars; In which wages ar& ! paid by the week; ln which fines, If im- posed, are paid into a fund for the benefit I of the employes; In which the minimum wages of cash girls are two dollars per week, with the same conditions regarding weekly payments and fines; in which the hours from 8 a. m. to 6 p. m. (with stiiute a working day, and a general half holidny is given on one day of each week during at least two summer months; in which a vacation of not lesH than one week is given with pay during the summer season; iu which all overtime is compensated compensat-ed for; in which work, lunch and retiring rooms lire apart from one another, and conform con-form in all respects to the present sanitary laws; in wiiich the present law regarding the providing of seats for saleswomen ht observed and the use of seats permitted; iu which humane and considerate behavior be-havior toward employes is the rule; in which fidelity and length of service meet with consideration which is their due; in which no children under fourteen years of ntze are employed." No one who reads these rules will find anything unreasonable in them. On the contrary, even the woman who has borne resentment in her heart toward thiH or that clerk localise of having been treated by her with indifference or disrespect will not wish her to be cared for in a lens bumana manner than this paper demands. In the constitution adopted by the Consumers' Con-sumers' league the condition of membership member-ship is t he approval by signature of the object ob-ject of the league, all persons being eligible eligi-ble excepting such os are engaged In tha retail business in New York. New York World. |