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Show SAY WOMEN'S WAGES E FAIR0N COAST Employers Testify That Pay Is Higher Than in Many Other Cities 'OPEN SHOP' ATTACKED Difference of Opinion Ex pressed as to the Value of Unions LOS ANGELES Sept 11 Despte the fact that tho local market s badlj overcrowded cond t ons among women workers n department stores are above those n many other c t es the federal mdustr al relat ons coram ss on heard to day from var oue witnesses The average m n mum wage Mrs Kathenne P Edson a state mdustr al welfare comnuss oner Arthur Letts pres dent of the Jvational Dry Goods as soc at on and W L Chan berla n man aeer of a local department store tes tilled is about that pa d in states where jt has been fixed by law Iso Minimum Wage Law s yet no n n mum wage law has been passed in Cal forn a but one s to be n troduced at the coming sess ons of the legislature It s thought the proposed scale will be between $S and $10 a week Both Mr Chamberla n and Mr Letts expla ned that lack of effic ency caused salar es to rema n low for many work ers The greatest trouble among women workers in th s country s lack of effi c ency Mr Letts test fied A great many employees regard the years be "'tween the ages of 18 and 2 as merelv the carry ng over per od and have mar r age as their ultimate aim If they can earn the money n my store the sky is the limit Ne ther of the w tnesses employs or gamzed labor but Mr Letts has a er ev ance committee among his employees that may present the case of an em ployee Both men strongly indorsed the workmen s coinpen at on act Open Shop Results The result of the open hop n Los " Angeles has been to produce moral, m h- tellectual and phys cal cowards, Mrs Pranc s V Noel of the Women's Trade f Union league testified The Mer ft chants and Manufacturers association F has cowed not only the worker but the S small merchant she added ' The witness also test fied that the lo w cal police force is used to carry out the commands of employers She c ted an instance where she sa d two pol cemen n and a detective were sent forth to guard ? a laundrv where t was feared five eirls 1 might resort to violence What effect does act on 1 ke th s have on people! Cha rman Walsh asked It makes rebels of us she rep e At th s po nt aplaml dressed work t log girl walked down the a sles of the hear ng room and interrupt ng the pro eeed ngs sa d Mr Chairman I am one of those girls The girls Mrs Noel sa d had been discharged for loining a labor organiza tion They made no demand on the r employer she added Charge Against Press Railroads which refuse to pa more than $1 a lav for Mex can labor and continually import fresh squads of men who will work at th s wage were blamed by the w tness for bad lrv ng condit ons among Mex cans here She declared they 1 ved n homes made of gunny sacks t n cans and other rubb sh In employer should be forced to I ass an examination the san e as an en gineer Mrs Noel cont nued A lot of emplo ers need some one to watch over them I ha e sat here an 1 beard LDiplovers test fv all week and t has bppn a re elat on to me how 1 ttle they knew abont the organ zat ons to wh en they belong and of soc al econom es The witness sa d the n est gat on he e pro ed that a workman w th one lependent wh ch s the a erage could 1 e on $" a daj but he could have amusen ents ani comforts on no less than $4 Pub t she bel e e would revolut on e wo k ng cond t on but sue complained that the press was s b s d 7ed to g eat e-steD |