The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-11-24
Female Labor in England.

A letter from Lord ShaftesbuTy IN
the London Times, draws iresh at
tept;on to the recently issued report
Of the inspector of factories and to
the valuable but painful information
which II contains on the subject oil
female labor in the Black Country
and its neighborbood. The account
given by Sub-Inspector Brewer. OF
the state Of things prevailing in what
is known as the mail aud chain DIS
trict." is Of special interest. From
botb the nail and chain trades there
are. be SAYS, strong representations
made against the labor ct woman,
whether as 70 the numbers employed
or the size Of the articles made. Inc
women are said to take the place OF
fathers rs well as husbands, while
the men are idle and drunken" On
entering a nail shop on the outskirts.
Of q large manufacturing town, Mr..
Brewer was greeted with the rem ark,
al thought this was 3 free country
and on his inqairing wha! was the
matter. be was met by the question,
"Do vou call this a free country,
whore women are employed in such
trades2n Mr.. Brewer replied that he
had again AID again discussed this
question with workingmen around
him; and be adds, Il am now con-
tinualiv asked whether / cannot DO
something 10 stop women's labor, es'
peciallv in and around Halesowen,
where hundreds work (the manu-
facture Of the larger class Of nails
and spikes) is the order Of the day
and is far filter for mems work thar
somen's."
The root Of all evil in the Blacl
Country appears to be drunkenness
no matter whether the drinker be
puddler, collier, chain or nail maker
The cutlery against the Golfers anC
puddler's wives working is very great
not perhaps so much from their in
nux into the trade, but from the fact
that they work night and day, toll
and slave; and for what? Not for
the price that straightforward mas
tiers would give, but for any price
anv knave of a master chooses to Of
fer. In the meantime the husband
is luxuriating in some public house
al bis ease, and training bis whife'
for some future running on beefsteaki
and the best Of good fare" Nor j:
Il only in the nail and chain trad,
that the practice Of husbands living
on their wives labor prevails. A
Young woman, addressing Mr.. Brew
er. said, II say, mister, ] wish yoI
would make my nan do a little NOR
work and me less. / married q swell
| did" To the inquiry what sh'
meant by a swell, the reply was
why when ] married him in th'
morning he had q smart COLA watci
and chain, and q smart dickey, bu
when we come to go to bed at nigh
I'm blessed if be had e'r a shirt on
aud ever since Is had to keep hin
by working 10 the briekyard, and no
only kept him but fad him money Il
drink And il is, it seems, a grow
ing custom for idle lazy young lad.
to look ont for skilled, industriou.
wives in order to obtain an easy
life"
To a question addressed by Mr.
Brewer to some Intelligent and wei
meaning chain Makers the answe
was that one Of the evils arising from
female labor is the number Of hours
women are allowed to work being 81
many in excess Of a great deal o.
male labor. I'VE would suggest
that all females commence work not
earlier than s a. m, and not work
later han I p. m. We would sug-
gest that every occupier or owner OF
a chain shop should be served with a
copy Of the rules, l. e. the rules of the
trade. which it should be compulso.
~ BY law to have hung up in the
shop, and that the factory act holl
days be applied to chain shops"
The sanitary condition of th,
shops is often bad. Women worl
often in an advanced state Of preg
nancy, and a shocking story is toll
Of a young girl at work in a brick
yard looking exceedingly i'll" an
who, to q remark Of the mana
ger that she did not look up muc.
this morning" replied; mo nor
would you if you had had a chill
during the night"