New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-08-20
LABOR IN NEw-YORK
ira crscrxsrAscxs, CONDITIONS AND EEwAhD''
m. uU.,..Tbe Book.Folders.

stitching They earn about the same "ss -
occnpatou. and work always by the piece W.
more than half Of them who have regular si1uA''o"
are steady sober workers-the want Oh e-1.
and the outdoor temptations when Oe'0Hs =,
fortunes Of so many Of them eNerlne P'"'
influence TO destroy their ambition ana sci '0T
and to beget habits OF levity and idene''
are from $500 to 5000 girls engaged IN the reSPeo'4
e p;oderies in the City. and their wages are very
,..ro,s denending entirely on the skill experience
-, -. g the girls as well as sometimes on
- e.a-;.isr, n forernen and those who give ont
-. H., do not earn more than : 80 or =
- others make So and SO 80 while there
arc few whose bills week after week run a. hish
- :, and 80. These are old and hghly-vaued
h.,ds and some of them have held their situations
for years.
The prices paid in the large establishments for
folding are for single vo sheets, cents per hun
bred for double do l6 pages 81 cents per hun
dred Double ! , mo is paid Il cents An average
hand working l hours day can fold 10 or l2OO OF
the double 2 mos Few do as much as that. how
ever The cutting of the signatures IL included IL
these prices
The stichers receive great variety of prices ac-
cordng to the size Of the sheet the number OF pages
in signature, &c &c. An average price Tor com
mon work may be stated at 2, cents per hundred
sheets. At these rates they make about the same
a. a, folding In both folding and stitching there's
80 wide range of work that the only practicable
wav of estimating the earnings Of these girls a.
class is TO take account of their weekly wages In
the best establishments these range from e % 10
50 5O-leavine out of the question those few who
are extraordinarily expert or industrious In many
other establishments, however, the work Is drloDed
out by pecemea 50 that the girls on the average do
not work more than half the time. Some concerns
too we are compelled to say are in the regular habit
of paving less even than the above prices and en-
plov girls at the very lowest rates they can compel
them to accept
The system OF apprenticeship alse exists IN this
trade and the skiiu worker just through her ap-
pren,icehood is too often sent adrift TO make room
for raw hands In the large establishments the girls
are generally separated from the men who work at
Book binding. and are kept in tolerable order IN
some houses they not permitted even to speak
to each other during working hours. In others and
that too, where we should look for the utmost strict
ness the girls laugh and talk and carry on half the
time
The Folders and Sti,chers commence work at
in the morning and work till in the evenng-ak-
ing an hour for dinner They almost universally
bring dinner with them and eat il any way that
they can get at it, The fare, as you may well sup
pose is poor enough and yet perhaps nine tenths
of these girls board with their mothers, brothers,
married sisters or other relatives or friends, the
hand of affection often drops some trihing decacy
in the little tin pail that holds the poor workers din
ner,--at which, when she spreads her humble board,
her eyes gsten with tear of love and she utters
silent blessing
These girls pay from 81 IS cents to - per
week for their board. and extra for washing
great ma ioriiy of them board with their relatives
or friends and thus better fed, lodged and cared
for than those girls who have TO live at the cheap
public boarding houses They are most of them
faiherless and many have neither father mother.
Many of them belong to the church, and nearly all,
we believe, are of good character In some OF the
less respectable Binderies, however, much cir
cumspection is not employed. They are from all
grades and ranks in life and the history Of them
selves and families would, in many instances. be
more interesting than the most artistic romance
We remember a sprightly and delicate looking girl
whose story was told us by the polite proprietor OF
the large Bindery where she employed although
not one of her companions knows any thing OF her
strange fortunes She is the daughter of a once
distinguished and opulent East India merchant who
lived in the sumptuous and aristocraiic style.
bestowing uponhis daughters every accomplishment
which could possibly be obtained by wealth and
taste He died and was discovered 10 be hopeless
bankrupt His widow and one grown-up daughter
two of the most distinguf women of fashion in
the City-and the subject of our story,were reduced
TO sudden and AFFECT poverty. The young womaS
married respectable hard working mechanic with
whom she now lives in uninterrupted happiness ;
and the little grl-,he pet of the iamily-went TO
folding books She boards with her sister and is
neat and prosperous worker. After hearing this
little romance we turned TO gaze with deeper in
terest upon the gay girsh face and slight but grace
ful form bending so quietly over her toll
We have presented this important branch of
the great Book making business by no means in its
darkest coors. The exceptions which are many
and distressing to the comparative comfort which
prev ails among them have left unrecorded
Our next number will be devoted 10 the Book
binders as belonging 10 the kind of business ;
bat we shall then return 10 our notes on the female
aborers until we have exhau s,ed the various classes
A GREAT MIsrAKE.-The proprieiors OF fash
ionable houses at our popular Watering Places pro-
vide comforts in prouson for their guests
Game Fruits Ices Wines sc. &c with capital turn
those who ride and faultless biard,abes for those
who pay-yei one department, is apt 10 be deficient
that OF Intellectual smen neat of choice and
seasonsble Books centre,able OF fresh and racy Re
views and Magazines-but above all dozen files OF the
most interesting Newspapers-ihese are indispensable
young and old, grave and CAV. fair and unfair The
business wants TO Be able 10 tel how Stocks and
Cotton going though he never looks the quo
isrons the plessure.seeker would hear what is doing
and country and hat the of this
or that resort Every body who Is at leisure finds a
spare hafhour the OF day when he to
take up newspaper, and he inly execra;es the place
where II is not 10 be had We afectonaiely counsel
those who want 10 recommend favorie watering
place mention the fac; (and be fact that
All the principal City papers kept regularly file