New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-19

worked By means of two wooden readleS' At
Halesowen 7 saw numbers Of girls making large
eipbtinch bolts on these machines, and indeed they
| seem TO work with masculine irmness and with lar
more yieor than the mon. Mr.. Ball, one OF the
| largest nail-mallers of the district, told
me that hundreds of women were empioyeu
in the little smithys" at the back OF the houses III
making these great bolts, and | visited seven Vi
eight establishments that might properly be cIassed
as factories thus employing women lhcL '"i"
ings do not exceed 81 % a week
In this way mothers, daughters and mere chill
dren toll and slave on from year to year-indeed,
one man told me nails had been made here for over
| n century in this way How they exist is a mystery
| to me- They live in novels they are
poorly fed and poorly clad. They marry
! early. and several girls not over seventeen were
pointed out to me as mothers Of children two ana
three years of age. The men have an unmuscular
| look. most of them very pale and lean ana
| leaden-eyedr The small naers are not protected
by the English Factory act and they work In their
| fathers shops sometimes until late at night Inc
| time TO see the nailers at work IS FRIDAY hghV'
The sharp din of the hammer on the anvil, and the
dull rapid thud of the oliver" as it Hattened the
beacs of the nails and spikes, still rings in my ear
| from last night / the bright sparks from
the forge the red hot nails gathering down to JOIN
their cooler brethren the bending forms of the men,
the women and the girls little children creeping
into the gathering, scintiating nail-shop for the
| sake of warmth, and every now and then the req
flames from the FORCES Illuminating the scene aud
| making more distinct the weird forms OF these
shadowy creatures, doomed to a neyer-ending IL
dusrial treadmill.
In some cases found mothers and three. and even
four daughters at the forge. In most of such IN
stances the father was told, spent his time III the
public house. and the united earnings of the entire
family would be less than So Many of the naiers ac
tually save and Of the deepest sorrow are not
uncommon. Misery" as The London Standard CORE
spondent wrote 80 deep aud dreadful that the most
graphic pen can but family convey its depth of sor
row arr Witnessed" Now that have visited this
region and walked through il, and conversed with
nj least hundred of these industrial slaves, am
ready to add my testimony TO the facts contained
in the letter written from Edinburgh CHRISTMAS
Day no. o. In reply 20 some Democratic members
of Congress who have proclaimed In the
House of Representatives that the Edinburgh
letter was based on hearsayp | can
SIMPLY say that have not half told the misery OF
this district, and of dozen other industrial dis
tricts in England, aud that il any one douhts the
facts will gladly take them with TO any Of the
places have visited for The TRIBUNE and let
them see with their own eyes It is all very well 10
CLOS, these thing, over aud keep them out OF he
newspapers rs they do I'm England, but the poor IN
England are day hY day and year by year gettng
poorer. Not long ago. journalist OF abull ~
undertook 10 sho the desperate condition OF the
working classes here. do not mean idle, worthless.
good foI-nojhug people. but just such industrious
people rs those described IN this letter Ito sent the
result Of his inquiries TO a Liberal Journal ana the
manager refused TO publish the facts. Tie wrote:
n Is better not % call attention To such matters
II could do no good
In this way they hone - tempt the United States
20 throw down ~ protective barriers, ana, ut the
frtI lsHHff f|ff.F
condition. give back 10 England The sixty million
OF customers she has lost IN 50 many impor,a Mt
branches of Industry.
It's tino the truth about industrial England is
told. The London Standard has dared To speak out
the condition OF labor IN the Black Country ana
when that paper makes the following statement |
can say that II actually accords with some of the
horrible facts winch have come within my OOseEYa
ton during my stay IN This dismal region.
Women within a few DAYS of their confinement
have been known 10 work n the agony of eXhaus,
ton. in order to earn q few p.nce at the hearth
not the " hearth OF home. but the hearth OF tho
" forge u: they have been known To return To work
IN a day or two alter childbirth, emacated IN CON
stituton. weak and weary for the want OF simple
bourishment Their children, ragged and ll-ied.
have had to lead miserable and wrctched lives,
with no hope before them but life OF "lcheGneas
Does any one in tho United States fully realize
how these poor creatures can live on the lew sh-
hngs q week thoy reccIyef IL has been truly SKA
Of the Bailcrs that they bear puyauous with pa
thetc patience. must say that D" M walks among
these poor men aud women was often struck With
the ruth OF the above remark. Az udlcsoh'll, |
wherc found 50 many young gIrls
working the "olivcrs' and turning out
heavy bolts many Of them were
soiacing themselves with songs. Some OF these ball
lads though destitute OF rhyme are full Of reali ~
For example the "NaIlers Lamentations, opens |
with some verses on the mcagre pay, and then tie
matter and his wife SIT down " 10 help to GU & out
lie says:
You know there f. orr coal anc glccds
Tor toe house and The shop nrc;
iIkewte tur uIc4diug OK tuc too!
And charging o. the irJI.
Nv hammer aud my steady. too.
Must bo pared 70 not stecled.
My bore aud hardy must Doe done"
on / cannot mako good nails.
Abiding to household wants, he complains
The shoemaker. ne must be paid
or -hOcs shall have none.
And again:
oar clothing has got very brae,
over and underneath;
our chIldieu want some things 10 wear,
IAey must moi CatcA their death
There's $50 butter and sugar too.
Tea, candles. soap and nOur
And there's no meat nor garden stun
Ia such house a. our.
In conclusion the poor fellow says:
Now what's twelve shillings 10 cut up
To pay so many things
II would mnse lawyers head tdrn gray
To try TO meet such ends.
II matters little 10 these poor fellows what the |
cost Of clothing is, for they cannot get It
Taking the net earnings of the man, his WIFE, and |
above tables was lcss than l0s., and hero is what
hc can huy for il. The man and his wife sat down
with me and gave tho facts with great detail and
cllo 10 81 get il exactly right"