100 Years Ago

100 Years Ago as presented in the April 1918 editions of the Rome Tribune-Herald

Rome is facing a strike that means many of its people will be wearing soiled clothes, doing their own washing or giving it all to the laundries.

The recently enacted city ordinance making it obligatory on washerwomen to register or quit washing is causing all the trouble.

Yesterday was the time prescribed for them to register at the office of the city sanitary inspector, but few did so. They’re not violating the ordinance. They have just quit washing and many a family that had a laundress is now a family without a laundress. The heads of the families and also other members are indignant, irritated, hurt and infuriated. They are also determined to have the ordinance rescinded because they cannot force their washerwomen to register and neither can they force them to wash.

The Tribune-Herald phones rang off in last night and the ringers all wanted the same thing - all either news of the war in Europe or news of the war of the washerwomen here and seem to think both important.

The washer women say they intend to stand firm while the city sanitary inspector appears to be equally determined. Until something is done it appears - well, there are soiled clothes.

*** Berry has had the pleasure of a second visit from Mr. W.W. Miller, a retired farmer, and Mrs. Miller, who gave several informal talks at the girls’ school on poultry raising. Miss Berry gave in their honor a “country dinner” at the girls’ school from the products of the school farm. The other guests included the various heads of the agricultural department and it proved a very interesting and profitable occasion. Mr. Miller was greatly impressed with the work that the very schools are doing, especially along agricultural lines - he said that it is the greatest thing he has ever seen.