New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-08-26
LABOR IN YORK
ms CIRCUMSTANCES. coxpfrIoNs ARo ErwARp
No. vI....Hnir Seating and Curlcd Hair wan
ufrefure

Tariff The duty on Hair Seating is twenty FIVE per
cent which isVery well Of itself but then the duty
q, Hair i ten ner cent which reduces the real pro
,,r,;on 10 the Manufacturers down TO fifteen per
cent Under the present regulations. owing to the
extremely low price of labor in Europe. one would
think il was low enough here, European Hair
seating can pay duty OF twenty i've per cent, and
then be sold cheaper than the Amcrican-inade Bat
foreign Hair Cloth is by no means OF 20 good quail
~ As the American and It IS here that our manuiac
turers have their only chance for seimbursng their
ou,lsv. The processes of this manufacture are car
riea IN a. high perfection in this City as IN any part
otbe world: and the only reason for the difference
in price is in the lower wages OF labor and me ME
rior quality Of the European article
Nearly the whole of the raw Hair used IN the
Manufacture of Hair Seating and Curled Hair IS
imported-some from Russia. but mostly rom Bne-
no. Ayres The very best article comes from the
Rio Grande. \ small supply OF toleraole second
rate article comes from Cincinnati IL Is composed
Of brstles and the inner hair or wool Of hogs mixed
/ in equal proportions. This Is only used for CURED
Hair
The Hair after it comes into toe hands of the man
uf,cfurer is first sortedthat l.. the long hair when
will answer for weaving is separated from the other
which goes in 10 be cgFled. Ii Is then hacked ami
! becomes ready for being spun. These two processes
are periormed BY men and boys lii very dirty and
di.agreeable work-the Hair containing large
nsntitvof dust and dirt which renders it almost m
possible for one not accustomed to !, 10 breathe ~
the apartment where this is going on. The men
and bows covered from head to foot with tins art
and their faces bloiched all over with the finest OF
i, carefully rubbed in with perspiration, present
studies worthy Of the grouping OF Freeman whose
Italian Lazzaroni would well stand for these eN-
ccpt that they are by no means so active ms worA
/. principally done by boys. who get all prices IRON
= 50 10 81 a s. per week The general range l.
not more than - 30 and So few men are en-
gagged by the day a, 81 and Il so
The Hair for weaving now goes into the more
delicate fingers OF the Hair Drawers who sort II
into different lengths each length corresponding 70
the width of the cloth to be woven. The girls en-
gagged in this work make from ~ 10 - % ana
sometimes - per week. After It's drawn II Is dyed
in lunches about one third thick as horse tan
and is then ready for the looms The dying Is
done ON large scale. and the head Dyer and
( Engineer gets ~ per week.
The weaving is done by hand looms each worked
by two girls-one to handle the hook answering
the purpose ola shuttle and the other to serve the
Hair The warp for the best Seating is OF linen
but most usually il cotton and each hair Is as long
az the cloth is wide. The server has two bundles
one with the large ends up and the other with the
email ends Serving from each alternately. the
cloth is smooth and even. We have seldom seen
any mechanical operation requiring more dexterity
or constant attention than this. The prices paid iof
weaving vary from % to - cents per yard. The
average including plain and figured cloths IA -
cents A fair average days work Is four or hive
| wards But this requires two hands, you must re
! member-so that perhaps fair estimate OF the
wages of Hair Cloth weavers would be from 30 to
CPL cents per day The labor is severe and We
should think it impossible or very injurious tor
youne women to work at it more than two thirds OF
the time.
The manufacture of Curled Hair is carried on IN
the same establishments as that of Hair Sealing -
That norton Of the Hair which is rejected a. being
unsuitable for weaving is spun into coarse three
or four stranded rope This work il done by men
and boys who receive about the same average
compensation as those who sort and hacSle Alter
being spun it is backed up (ihc twist put into 1T
and then boiled and thoroughly cleansed. 1t IL then
baked and confirmed in its Kindness. All these
processes are performed by men and boys
It is now ready for the pickers These are al
most entirely Irish women who come and carry oil
large handles of the Rope which they take TO their
| homes where mother and children fall to picking
i, 10 pieces. A smart woman can pick % or 30 lbs
IL. tb. holm In.
children lof which there generally plenty open
10 or 80 lbs per day They receive for this WORN
two cents per ID. After they have finished what
| they brought home they tie the loose hair mo"
ready for the upholstered into large blanket mount
i, on their heads. and staeger Oft under II to the
manufacturers Every person will at once recoilecl
having often met these women and wondered no"
they were able TO walk under such enormous loads
or where they were carrying them.
These women all or nearly all have husbands, who
work at various employ nents-any that they can
get-or at none at all They live for the most par
in quite a wretched manner-squeezed into hot aud
.uiiocating garrets crushed into dank and deadly
cellars Hundreds of families rent a single room
each in the shanies and sheds which the cupidity Of
landlords has caused to be erected m NE rem Of
small poor buildings. whose tenants sadly need and
ought have every square foot Of ground and every
mouthful of unbreathed air that they any way
lay hold Of When one goes about these miserable
and crowded sheds and shanties. and sees how
much unnecessary suffering and privaiion Is occa
stoned to the poor by the avarcc or thoughessness
of landlords he is ready conclude that the Tigh
to thus build and overbuild every inch OF ground
man owns by title deed ought TO have some rcsric-
ton, founded upon the general health and sanity OF
the community.
! To ne Editor Of The Tribune
observed in your paper Of the 10Th instant an article
in which you state that great portion Of the Artificial
Flowers are made by apprentices who receive from 20
cents 10 81 per week Allow me sir 10 correcta small
error into which you have fallen. That portion u the
Trade 10 whom we alude continually advertising for
apprentices do pay them cent for the rst month
and whs, is worse they do teach them As much a.
they might and ought do in three days. They thus
commit direct fraud in taking month work Ofthese
poor girls without teaching them any thing or paying