New-York tribune., 1874-09-23
A TENEMENT TRADE.

AN APPEAL TO BE MADE BY THE CIGAR MAKERS TO
THE BOARD OF HEALTH-BOHEMIAN FAMILIES
WORKING, EATING. AND SLEEPING IN THE SAME
ROOMS.
The cigar makers of this city, who number
over 1900 registered workngmen. besides women and
children. will hold meeting in Germania Hall at p
NJ Sunday, TO protest against the manufacturing
Of cigars tenement houses, and to devise 10
prevent the disastrous results attending this mode OF
manufacture. Cigar manufacturers have adopted within
the last two or three years system by which they are
relieved from the necessity Of complying with the law
which requires them TO have manufacturing establish
ments and enabled to transfer ther operations TO
tenement houses where the working families live,
cook. eat, sleep, and work in the rooms.
The results Of this system said to ha We
reduced the business to condition Of depression
which Ia only disastrous to those concerned in it.
but carrying the most dreadful diseases into many
families Those interested in the meeting intend 70 ask
the Board Of Health TO abolish the manufacture Of
cigars in tenemens, and thus TO prevent the evils
growing out Of the system TIE people engaged in this
manufacture nearly, quite eli natives Bohemia.
Every member Of family who is old and well enough
works. Fathers, mothers, grandparents and children
are all busy AS a people they remarkable for their
industrious habits Most Of the tenement
are situated IN Eleventh and Seventeenth Police
Precincts between Second-ave and Lewsst, extending
from RvingtOn to Ffthsi. There probably 5000 or
5000 Bonemians IN NewYork who jare engaged in cigar
making, and large proportion Of them working in
tenement houses.
Opposite the Eleventh Precinct stationhouse In East
Houston St. there large fOurstory tenement which
is occupied almost entirely by Bohemian cgarmakers.
They employed by Karl lsalomon, who has several
other tenemenhouse manufactures Of the same kind.
The cigars made by hand and pressed in small
handpreses. Most OF them an inferior quality
The tobacco supplied by the employer, who holds his
employees responsible for the amount gwen 10
them. They are paid by the thousand. one good
worker, male female II able from 500
a 20 sc per thousand For what called Havana"
cigars they paid from 50 10 t2 per thousand Among
other large manufacturers engaged In this branch OF the
cigar trade Messrs HirshOrn aud Meyer, who each
ST. and East 5econdt and employ several hundred Boz
hemian cgar-makers The boss +" generally rents the
whole block used for the business aud Let's the
to his employees. These small, usually
about II or by 20 feet For such O room,
and small bed room, "a family Is usually
few OF the people occupying them able to speak En-
glish, and comparatively few speak German. The uni
versal language among them Is their native Bohemian.
The women are the finest workers aud than
the men. Although all their surroundings pervaded
with the OdOr OF tobacco and their food cooked
In the working rooms. they complain little Ill health.
Most OF them, however the small children, have
pale and slckly look There considerable complaint
among them on account OF the fall the prices paid
| them within the last few months. They now receive
from q 10 s. less per thousand than formerly and there
IN whicn whole families are able 70 earn only
from " TO - per day, while their rents are very high
| Their bread they buy from bohemian bakers in the
DeighD0rhOOd Their principal vice IL beer drinking
Eaeh family drinks several quarts OF lager a day
They have chapel in Fourth-st, near Avenue c. and
| IA