The New York herald., 1874-01-31
THE CAPMAKERy STRIKE.

Meeting or the Strikers i'm Michael,s
Hall, Essex Street, and in Covenant
Hall, Orchard street-Over 1900 Hands
Out OF Work.
The story Of the capmaKers who are on strike,
If perhaps a little highly colOred by themselves,
goes far to show that there Is much reason In their
demands. They say that work for which the
manufacturers paid 81 so and 81 25 is now
down TO forty five cents. That in times gone by
they could have easily earned $40 per week
by working ten hours, and that now 1t
IS impossible to make half this
in twelve hours work. Meantime house rent, beef,
bread, clothing and all the other necessities of life
have remained at their former high prices. that
the workman who now earns less than half OF
what he did formerly, and whose expenses still
linger at war prices, is more than dOuby worse off
than in past years. The grinding injustice OF the
employers has driven their hands to desperation.
The wOrkmen say that they are being gradually
reduced to starvation and poverty, and that, no
matter how nard man works, he can
hardly bare sufficency for the needs Of life;
also that their scantily clothed wretchedy led
lilies forced to take refuge in the slums OF the
city amid communicating examples OF vice and
wretchedness, lOr!their wages will not admit Of
renting tencments in desirable parts of 1t.
meeting of the men and women ON strike took
place yesterday afternoon in Mlchaels Hall, Essex
street. 1t was made up almost exclusively OF Ger
man WOrkmen. The addresses, setting forth the
grievances of the strikers and advising them to
hold out, were delivered in German. At times the
meeting, which was held by the men employed IN
the house OF Messrs. Korn Brothers, South Fifth
avenue was very DOlsterOus three or four speakers
frequently having the floor at once. The burden
OF the speakers tale Of woe was to this effect:-
The panic did not hurt the cap trade, iOr, no
matter how things went in other respects, people
had to use headgear There only two good
seasons in the year for the capmakers-
the spring and fal-and then only
about eight weeks in each of these
periods were what might be called "pushlng
tlmes.' in the interval manufacturers make up
goods to supply the market during the seasons
Formerly the regular workmen were exclusively
EN- plOyed in the making up of goods. or late the
manufac turers have engaged q large number OF
girls, who work long hours and earn O small
weekly pittance. scarcely enaoiing them to
exist, while they take away employment from
the tn men Snoss Who have o,r made s.s the cap zap
present time men who can turn out eighteen
dozens OF caps weekly, at fifty cents per dozen,
earn but 50 week. The same kind Of cap (the
traveller's was at one time paid Tor at the rate OF
cap, Ior which the workman nsed to receive 81 10
| per dozen; employers now gave them seventy
nye cents per dozen for It, The opera
Hnon n@w hronwbt hin, rhireU
H nuoM MAJ, ~ how nor nvrS"' nwt Thn rsnt%x ~
sc srvsa . a co thoI a wbHa n.cs tho warnmo,
o~ vs.. ~ w ora rP "",s % s,u ,antS a~S s"~afimas
up % M a, So' ha aS 10y :" MN % nrs n"u ,
sI,C ants nc Hoyan @ mas w '"i "' Nv" i'i
Th t,r tvs' S,n vW onmoncea ,ost woarosao 4.
!, 90 aI he rnnt nn ,,n5S, ,Sa
t,rars m On,e :" W" sowe orreemwent IN I Jha ,aa"
wha de,nrot,cns from the difrerent MAMMA ctnr,es
will maet Satlv to concert measures for the ran
srai nod ~ o 1Se ~ a. Aor 'ne sen
% The e0 Tan,arTa NJ % ~ ~ the wortmar hoya ro+ ,ot
asanmod a dc1pta 1rnre hnt ranorter ~ {{So
nnou.nc q usn , n suo, u". W 'uS
thns .p.t toaW r w 30 S, a,l w uoi n VI
nar nrt s non 10y ~roSant M % ~ GO VIII ha ,s,stT
Is ca;rnnd r ,not thora arc a. ,ao.t % s"o
on~aSed annnt tne c;tv ~ tho arroc,,rrr ns
IA %o tH+ noorivJ J an ~ ~ ,hnS h,, @ S vi y,
49,, U " an ,nn M VI rt sHhe ~ @
So b"n%S on str?re nrnhabiv more "0' 'o ~ 'o"''
Tra s"II"ving are RE he nr,nCcinaI manusac+ur,rc
,,ht rne UMU~ts ~W no '"w hlch tp tir N
,rrnon "'. 'AO " wv '' A"'0
uarrS nrotbers f. Co Creene stroot 40 hands.
7 y pn;,tinS T. M Crecne street 7s hanSs Marps
. -. s, .onno s,roa, 40 h"uJs u,aIS % nc