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Show WOMAN'S near stables. The Bohemians make coats, pants and overcoats. Foot power machines are used and the work is reported as pretty steady. The wages range from $i to $12 a week few of the operators, however, making as much as $12. The Bohemians stand by their union and are soberly industrious. The condition of the Jews, who live in the district bounded by Polk and Fifteenth streets, Stewart and Blue Island Avenue, are to all appearances worse than the Bohemians. They are crowded and dirty and work day and night. A step lower than the Jews are the Poles who are scattered throughout the city. The average wage of the machine operators among the Poles was $8; the hand workers, $4; the pressers $9. 75; and the home finishers, 3.25 WAGES FALLING STEADILY. Miss Auten has taken up the change in wages and prices during the last few years and she has found it worthy a detailed report. For instance, a contractor gets 20 cents for a child's coat, and out of the amount he must pay for the making and For a coat he gets 80 cents get his profit where five years ago he received $1.25 and ten years ago as much as $1 50; for cloaks and suits he gets from $1 to $1.40. One contractor gets eight cents a pair for knee pants, ! and that is less than last year. And yet at these prices the contractors in many cases make a good living without much effort. of what they Prices in coats are one-hal- f were a few years ago, and the Bohemian coat makers find the prices still slipping. . Miss Auten supplemented her personal investigation by a careful study of the immediate causes and also by a study of the legislative position of Illinois and work done by the Consumers' league and kindred organizations. The united Hebrew Charities has offered some interesting statistics. About 6 per cent of the 1,918 cases studied in 1898 were cases of want among sweatshop workers, and 8 per cent of the men who applied for work at the employment bureau were garment workers. The most generally recognized causes of the abusts and maladjustments in these industries, Miss Auten says, are the absence of American ideas and sympathies a statement which she explains by saying that when the immigrants come from the crowded labor markets of Europe they, have no money to get farther than New York and their necessity makes it easy for American employers to get their work at the lowest price, especially as they crowd the labor market of New York. She speaks, too, of the illiteracy not only in English but in their native languages. This illiteracy is undoubtedly due to the ' guiding principles of the countries from which they come, whereby they are kept in ignorance because of their economic dependence. Miss Auten does not discuss the larger economical phases except where she says: "The sweating system surely works in two directions: If it is true that the people are poor because their wages are low, it is equally true that their wages are low because they are poor." UNCERTAIN SEASONS. "Another set of causes has its rise in the character of the industry. The garment trades are seasonable industries that is, there are certain months in the year when a EXPONENT. great deal of work must be done and other months in which there is almost no work. This alternate rush and quiet are, in turn, due to the change in fashions, which can best be explained by the economic pressure on ccmpeting dry goods and tailoring establishments which have to bring about an artificial desire for change in clothes in The most deorder to stimulate trade. of uncertain this result activity is plorable found in the long hours of the tailor and the excessive haste of the home finisher, who knows that if he or she does not get the finished garments back to the contractor on time there will be no work forthcoming for the future for there are always men and women ready to step in and conditions. She thinks that restriction of immigration might well be the first measure undertaken. "Illinois passed her first factory inThey provide that spection laws in 1893. all garments shall not be manufactured in living rooms, except by members of the immediate families; that all shops shall be kept clean and free from vermin and contagion." Besides they provide el for the destruction of clothing found where there was contagion, that no child under 14 should be employed; that affidavits for any child between 14 and 16 must be signed by parent cr guardian; and that women could not be employed more than eight hours a day. Illinois has only a small force of eleven factory inspectors, and the open promise punctuality. Still another cause is the minute division violation of these legislative enactments is of labor; one man sews seams, another most common. The appropriation in makes buttonholes, etc , and none of the Illinois in 1897 was $i5,ooo--one-fouof work takes long to learn. Therefore a what New York appropriates, and less of what Massachusetts has change of employees is made easy for the than contractor who, when asked for higher SO;iALISM AS A REMEDY, wages, says: "Go, if you please; I can find some one else who will gladly work for After suggesting several other palliatives less." And all that is needed in this industry Miss Auten says: "Closely related with is "a small room, a few sewing machines chose who much from organization expect and people. of the workers are those who feel that the Miss Auten classes as a fourth set of whole order of society is unjust, causes the attitude of manufacturer, con- and thatexisting the remedy is socialism, a state of tractor, landlord and consumer. "They society in which each man shall have all," she says, "to a greater or less degree just what he produces, no more, no less. have a happy, or rather unhappy, feeling It is undoubtedly true that at present there of irresponsibility, and often a sordid de is a class who do little or nothing to add to The manu- the sum total of the world's sire for individual profit." and yet of affair feels how the who have most. It is also goods it his facturer true that many woik is done. The contractor is pressed of those who work hardest have least. feels no interest to keep his contracts and is if these conditions can wrong in the conditions under which his employ- Something whether or not the solution lies and exist, ees work. The landlord is content to get in the of the socialistic state the most rent he can without asking ques- it is ainauguration serious question whether, if it is tions. The consumer is always ready for true that each person has a to be bargains. And so it is the man, unedu- himself such as he is,' he has'right not also the cated, perhaps unskilled, has to say: "Yes, to have undiminished that which he right I must keep on working, even though my However, Miss Auten does back is breaking and my eyes will scarcely produces." not wish to be regarded as desiring a stay open, lor my wife and the little ones "violent subversion of existing society," must have bread, and I must work now if but all concerned manurather that urges soon for will be there no work to it kills, And there are 35,853 such workers facturer, contractor, distributor and condo." sumer should be made to feel their rein the garment trades in Chicago. She does not point out how sponsibility. be this HOPE IN FACTORIES. done, but she is hopeful that may through such organizations as the ConMiss Auten looks forward to a "gradual sumers' League, through assimilation and displacement of the small shop and the education of the workers, and a general system of home work by the factory sys- raising of ethical standards much might be tem." However, such a displacement accomplished. does not seem imminent, for if the work Miss Auten's report is to be published in can be done at present on the present basis the American Journal of Sociology, issued of low wages, and no commensurable exthe of by University Chicago, and the pense outside of rents and sewing machfaculty are confident it will attract wide ines it would hardly be considered a good attention from students of sociology. business move to make a change. Besides laying stress on the improved conditions which large factories would MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL make possible, Miss Auten recommends an COUNCIL OF WOMEN. education of the classes of workers in cleanliness and ventilation. When workTo be held at Copenhagen Denmark, probably ing twelve and sixteen hours a day and 011 July 10 and 11, 1902. keeping windows closed to save coal they AGENDA. can hardly be expected to feel much interest in tneir health or appearance. She also Reading, correction and approval of recommends the organization of unions minutes of last meeting. wherever practicable. Correspondence. In considering how these changes are to Roll call. be brought about Miss Auten mentions the Report of Corresponding Secretary. possibility of federal legislation because of Report of Treasurer. the widespread character of the industry. Report of Subcommittee on Finance. There are only twelve or fifteen states Peace and Arbitration. L,aws concernwhich have any factory legislation and ing the Domestic Relations. Tress. what there is, is entirely inadequate to the Council Badges. rth one-sixt- h |