New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-09-17
LABOR IN NEw-YoRE
rTs CONDITIONS. cIRcUysTAScZs AND REWARDS.
No. AyI.-The Umbrella and Para-ol Maker.


No. XyI.-The Umbrella and Para-oI Makers.
The manufacturing Of Umbrellas and Parssols is
carried on to q considerable extent 10 our City and
like most other trades this branch Of Industry has
also experienced the severe effects Of competition
/ Oflate years the large numbers made up for the
auction sales manufactured Of all of stuff and
seved together in all sorts Of manners and Dies
in fact Ike the Dutchmans razors, N de 10 sell
have 50 cut Tito the regular business a. TO bring
down the prices paid for good work and thus COM
pei the ready, industrious and skillful TO work for
the most Inadequate wages.
The making Of Umbrellas AMI Parasos, is divid-
ed into different and distinct departments The
sticks heads. tips icrues &c formerly were manu-
| featured a, the same establishments As the frame
work and covering bot they are now generally
done at other places What is called the frame
t,ork is made by males and the putting on Of the
covers is always done by females. The two classes
work in different apartments 1t is Of the female
branch tina, we now wish TO speak
There arc many large establishments in the City.
some Of them giving empoym ent TO thirty or forty
hands each. The youngest girls employed are
about fifteen or sixteen years Of age Covering
Umbrellas or Parasols requires n good deal OF
strength and skill, which are required to make the
work fl nicely and girls younger than fifteen are
seldom employed in This business.
The girls who work at this business are mostly
Americans There are few Germans and Irish .
but the Americans considered the best workers
There is generally what j. called Cutier, who
superiniends the Female Department Her duties
are 10 cut the materie for the umbrellas, and give
ont the covers cord thread cotton stuff strings
buttons sc. There are some places in the City where
the girls are required to furnish their own thread
This to the unniiaied at first would appear to be no
great hardship but when we take into consideration
the large numbers Of umbrellas made and the few
cents apiece these poor girls are allowed for their
work on them, this thread b ecomes quite an i'm
portant item.
The girls work about ten hours day. They bring
their dinners with them, they generally 1--we al
such distance from the establishment that II would
take up too much Of their time 10 go home and return
again They are paid for their work by the piece
Some of the Girls at the esab shment permitted
10 take their work to their homes and do il there
but these are good and welliried hands, who have
been long employed. This taking the work ont Of
the shop muses. it and the practice is therefore not
much allowed The prices paid for covering um-
brellas and parasols depend upon the materials used
and the sizes OF the articles There are three sizes
OF Umbreas-2S, 30 aud 81 inches. For covering
with gingham, the price paid is ten cents for the
p inches eleven cents for the 30 inches and twelve
cents for the % inches For covering with silk
eleven cents for the - inches, twelve cents for the
30 inches and thirteen cents for the 81 inches. The
work on the silk covers is little finer than on the
bingham For covering with the common muslin
seven cents for the p inches eight cents for the 80
inches aud nine cents for the 30 inces. There are
three sizes Of parasols-the present fashion is
small size-l5 10 and Il inches and for covering all
these sizes the price is the same. The fine work Is
extra pay. Some girls can not make as much work
ing on parasols as on umbrellas for the former re
qnre q good deal of skill and expcrtness in cover
ing At the prices usually paid the girls at this trade
can make some OF them twenty shillinss, some three
dollars and some who extraordinarily smart
four and five dollars q week. There are many who
do not earn twenty shillings These to be found
chiefly among that class who work on the common
est umbrellas made of coarse muslins, cane frames,
TN lips, &c. 4 OF covering ulcsc NY 81
to six cents apiece. This is the Kind OF umbrellas
which keep off a shower about as well as sieve.
and generally tprn inside out when going round a
corner.
There is a good deal Of the cotton and singham
work made for the country, and it would surprise
one TO see the various kinds of s,uhs-the queer
patterns, coors &c which done mp into parasols
and sun.shadcs by some of these cheap estab-
lshments for the country trade. They would be
splendid firms fora mammoth kaleidoscope.
The busy season with the Umbrella Makers IS the
Spring and Fall There are some establishments
where they employ girls to make up work Tor the
auctions alone These girls are employed few
weeks. when their work being through with,
they are discharged. But there are many places
where the girls have constan, employment the year
through and good workers can almost always be
employed Many of these establishments in the City
have girls who have been working for them for i've
and six wears and have worked no were else du-
ringthis time.
Girls who have never worked at making um5rci-
as and Parasols can with little attention and in
dus;ry soon understand it. Apprentices generally
learn in week O