New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-22
EXPLANATION,

Ys ne Editor v The " y Tribune.
SIR: In looking over the columns of your paper tins
morning notice an article headed depressing the
Poor" in which you have placed our concern before
the public in a very unfavorable light. We should
ike YOU 10 hear both sides of the story, and you Will
find that you have been mslnf0rmed and we trust
YOU will Law this matter before the public in its true
light You say striking instance OF the way poor
sewing woman robbed by their employers recently
came to your knowledge, and you throw the charge
upon us. which is entirely false, as you will readily
zee. The woman Ross came, you say, IN answer to
an advertisement for work. This IL false, as we dd
not advertise, would be necessary so TO DO Tor
there are people continually coming In and asking I0r
work and we could at any time take on from 81 to loO
hands day if we had work enough TO Keep them
busy. You say she had an invalid husband and child.
This may be true il 1t IL we had no knowledge Oh H.
and are inclined to believe it false, for when she came
after work tof her own accord) We told her we re.
qured deposit of -. She said very well, she would
yet il in moment, her husband was cartman for
n store Just below us. She went out, and IN lew
moments came in with the 81 Gf she did pawn her
household furniture for the money, she did 1t very
quickly, for she was not out more than ten mhu'esl'
We gave her some work, and at the same time gave
her due bill for the amount deposited, which we told
her would be paid at any time 1t was presented aier
returning her work. Now, word in regard to re-
quiring deposit. You seem to think 1t a swndllng
operation to require deposit from poor people, but
were you in the trade you wond soon realize the
necessity of 40 doing For instance, we give woman
dozen of shirts to make, the price ranging rom u
to 81 per dozen, according to the work done on them
per dozen; she is poor, wants money goes TO pawn
broker and pawns them for 81 or g. and that Is the
last we ever hear of the woman OF the shirts Some
times fortunate enough to get track OF them,
and If 80 we may get the tickets and by redeeming
them we get our goods back. We had II case similar
TO this last week During the past year we have lost
between $lO0and 5000 worth Of goods by hands not
returning their work. but in no instance has it oc-
CURED when deposit was required. This is the
reason why the deposit is required. And now
20 your charge. You say she returned the work,
and was informed that the proprietor was out
and thai We could not pay her, but would give
her another dozen. This is not the case. The pro-
pretor does not reside in the city, and consequently
spends hp. small portion OF his time here There
fore the of the business rest upon his clerk So
of course, that would be excuse for not paying:
The facts Of the these: The woman returned
the shirts apd was asked If she wanted more; she
replied yes, and we gave her dozen; she took them
nome and presently came back, saying the pieces
belonging to the shirts not in the bundle. We
requested her 10 return them She did so, aud We
found she had misrepresented the We then told
ner she could have no more work. She was angry at
shs. She then wanted her money That 1c9S rtgh,
was due her, and should have been paid but hav-
ing paid of great number Of hands that day, at the
nne she was In We had no money in the store. We
YOU ner 70 come IN the afternoon or morning, and
We wouh pay her. This she said she would not do,
snat she would have the money before she left the
s'ofs, sayns we were Get of swinders and intended
TO cheat Dor cut of her money. For this insoence |
concluded she should wait until the following day,
otherwise L should have borrowed ,be 'Donp S ~
paid her. She then brought in pol;rem.n IT, 80, 80
informed him aud her that VIC would nav her the
following day, which would have been done as readily
without an officer es with one. You say she retumed
home with her TIVE dollars deposit aud seven shilrncs
Cor a Necs'S E0rk. Your readers would infer that
woman working for could not earn more than seven
shlings q week; we have at the present time a
pumbes Of hands working for that earn seven eight
and Dias slulhngs day. We feel that you nave done
rs great injustice in thus publishing a statement
without 6rt knowing the particulars, and feel conf.
dent you viii be willing 10 lay this matter before your
readers in its true light.
Nssy sesxsc,eAly yoas obt scrv't w. H. BASSETT
C.s1k OF (is0. NsCard. formerly MeCoTd. Williams
CO., No. - M.rray street, y. y
Nee fork Jss- a, 1853.