The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-16
WEAVERS' WAGES.
The Hard-Worked and Poorly. Paid EN-
pIoyes in the Mills of Coventry, England.
in New York Tribune

Here is a fair description of the average
weaver's rooms: Both back and front are
lighted by weaver's easements, running al
most the whole width of the house, Inside
the front window stand few plants in pots,
cut down for the winter. The boarded floors
are bare. The front room, which is the liv
Ing room, is furnished with the wife's loom,
bedstead, a chair or two, some old prints
and crockery hanging on the walls, and
little round table by the fire. The husbands
loom and few miscellaneous articles furnish
the back room. He is spare man, poorly
clad and, as his face shows poorly fed, very
Intelligent with good forehead, genial eyes
and pleasant smile. Here is his story:
"Have been all my life weaver; am now
sixty-six years old began when l was four
teen; served seven years apprenticeship: It's
next door to starvation, Our trade is dying
out and good job, too. 1 told my master
once that thered soon be an end to us, and a
good thing, too. Why sol? said he. Why,
sir said |, who'd apprentice his son to learn
starvation? Would you like to have your
boy taught such fine trade as that? OF
course he couldn't say he would, but he
says You may thank your fine free trade
for 1t all. What's the good of cheap bread
to you if you've got no money to buy it
WITH"
#These men can make at the most about los.
i$240) week, and rent is from 2s cd. go
Cents) to 3s ~ cents) a week. Before giving
my own experience in the Coventry dis
trict, 1 wish to quote description of a silk
weaver's family by the late DR.. Rowe, an
English authority, who did much in show
Ing how the work-people live in England un
der free trade and cheapness:
The door is opened by a woman of from
five to eight and twenty She has not bad
figure, and perhaps when she was child had
tolerably pretty face. Want is clearly
stamped on her face. The room holds her
loom and her husbands bedstead ION the I'M
made bed of which lie baby and cat)
table, two or three chairs, few clothes hung
upon a string to dry-and very little else in
animate The eldest of five children, born
in six years, has trotted off to school in dread
of the school board officers. Baby's prede-
cessor died lin fits" Two pleasant-fac
but sadly pasty-faced toddlers, wonderfully
clean and neat considering their parents cir
cumstances, stare at the stranger with big
eyes expanded to the utmost. When a mite
is offered to the mites and they are asked if
they know how to spend it, the mother an
swers for them gratefully yet bitterly. at
will buy them something to eat"
Hear the womans story:
Yes, work she says, when I've time
when I've done up the place and dressed
the children, or when they're abed. But it
isn't much can do with baby, and them
two so little. Perhaps l may earn SID. ~
cents) day, sometimes. Beside waiting at
the masters, we lose about quarter of our
time doing work for which we get no pay. 1t
will take me two hours and n half to get this
ready" she explains as she fingers the blue
fic-sy threads stretching along her loom.
The husband then comes forward in his
shirt-sleeves. He is stubbly-bearded, pre-
maturely aged man, of about three or four
and thirty with STOPPING shoulders, hollow
cheeks and deeply-sunken eyes. He is civil
and pleasant to speak to, but not so hope
lessly resigned to his lot as the older men.
Hear the husbands story:
''Yes, they're nice little 'uns" he says
land it Nhard for man to see his children
dragged up this fashion and not to be able to
better it. Working twelve: to thirteen
hours perhaps, may make Is. Cd. go cents)
day. If you were to come in at 8 tonight
you would find me at work. / don't believe
made more than EGO $3.50 last year Live
sir? We don't live-only just muddle to
keep off dying When people talk to me
about the price of meat, I often say that it
wouldn't matter to me if there wasn't no
meat at all. We never get none-'cept, per-
haps now and then a half pound of bull
locks liver between the six of u.s."
But then England expends fifty millions
annually for our commercial policy on its
paupers, and is ever ready to assist its in
dustrial poor.
Hear the husbands pathetic story on this
point:
"Well, yes, sir, I'll own was once driven
to apply to the parish. and | was black
guarded as if I'd robbed church. 1t was to
bury poor child. How was 1 to raise f2
($10P So l went to- the parish. 1 happened
to go in coat that a lady gave lne-there it
hangs II she hand't given it to me
shouldn't have had a coat at all; and because
I'd a coat on they said that such q gentle
man as me ought to be ashamed of himself
to come begging They needn't have told
me so. | was ashamed enough to have to
ask any ones help to bury my poor little
'un There was some talk of putting me to
stone-breaking. Whv, stived up here all day
as am, could scarce have lifted the hammer
and my hands wouldn't have been much good
for weaving afterward. Says one of 'em:
We've all our troubles to bear, my man.
Thinks | to myself, Perhaps you may, but
troubles are a deal easier to bear when
you've good food and fire and clothes and
no likelihood of losing of 'em. Whatever
sorrows you've had, you've never had the
sorrow of a hungry belly, and half dozen
more hungry bellies round you that belongs
to ye.'"
Hundreds of similar cases to the above can
be found in Coventry and the surrounding
neighborhood. / called at the house of one
OF the best weavers in Coventry, on King
William street in what is called "Ill-felds."
He had several looms at the top OF his house,
anu useu Steaih power In the palmy days
of the ribbon and silk trade he used to make
els week. where now he could not make
over f2 ($10). and did not make more than
81 ($5). He told me that half the weavers
of Coventry were actually starving.
There is my son, said he pointing to the
likeness of a handsome looking young fellow
on the mantel; look at him, sir, as fine
hoy as ever lived. sober, industrious; and
what do you think he earns at weaving?
Why, ten or twelve shillings a week Cess
than $3l, and he has wife and child to
maintain. A real intelligent lad, sir; wish
you cond see him."
There is much distress in Coventry"
said l.
why, I tell you half the weavers are