The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-10-20
CITY WORKING-GIR
THE WAGES THEY GET IN THE
VARIOUS FIELDS OF LABOR
Early Morning Scenes on the Streets
CarewOrn Expressions on Young Faces
Hard Work and Poor Health
Sales ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
fCincinnati Times-star. !

seemed to glare right into the eyes of the
city. for Cincinnati shook herself.
stretched herself stretched 8 moment,
and then woke up, every place at once.
The populations began to pour into the
streets from all directions, and the side
walks soon became crowded with pedes
TRANS OF every description on their way
to work. There were old, stoOpshouldered
men, and happy, merry-looking boys.
There were aged, crippled women to beg
on the corners, and careless, laughing
little girls to play in the streets. There
were all kinds of people-graye and gay.
sweet faced sour faced, and dirty faced,
good bad and indifferent There were
old hats and new hats; straw hats, felt
hats, and no hats at all. Some carried
baskets, some carried buckets, and some
carried nothing but light hearts and
empty purses The rich were there. the
poor were there. The rich iostled the
poor. and the poor iostled the rich. The
rich frowned and were silent and the
ragged whistled.and sang.
If YOU want to see life in q great city, "
observed the hoary headed philosopher.
you must get up at daybreak and watch
the people on the streets. You will see
all kinds OF characters then. and all man
ners of existence. Now, here comes an
interesting party, +" pointing to a little
group of working girls walking west OH
+ fifth street. They were lightly and
clearly dressed and were talking noisily
together. 4" 1t would be a difficult matter
to ascertain what proportion working
women bear to the population of Cincin-
natl from 6 o'clock in the morning un-
til 80 the streets are thronged with
them. and they constitute good share of
the pedestrians from now until 8 o'clock
THEN again at 6 in the afternoon they fill
the streets and horsecars They are of
all ages from the cash girl of II or ID. in
short dresses, to the gray haired. stopping
woman of %. Among them are all de-
grees of intelligence. all natiOnalities.
all styles of beauty. The majority
of them are bright well behaved, and
pretty; but they generally look weary.
and often i'll. early all of them are pale
and thin, and have careworn expressions
sadly out of keeping on young aces, that
Ing girls begin daily labor before they are
fully in their teens In large families.
which are the rule among the poorer peo-
pie the little daughter is often compelled
TO lend her aid to the general support, and
her small salary of perhaps 81. 90 per
week is by no means to be despised. Her
older sisters So is often as much as the
father makes
In what kind of work are most OF
them engaged?" asked the writer.
By far the greater proportion are sew
ng-girls, was the reply. Under this
class may be mentioned machine opera
tors, shirtmakers, and those engaged in
various other branches of the trade.
What do they maker"
sShirtmakers get 30 cents per dozen for
shirts. Two dozen Is good days work.
At this a fast worker could average about
g. so a week. Cloakmakers will average
little better, some of them making as
much as So week. But the hardest work
of this character is that of the tailOress
hos [T tn 80 All
this kind of work is very confirming and
the constant STOPPING renders the opera
tor very susceptible to lung disease. Pneu-
Inonia is very fatal to them.
In binderies girls are paid either by
the piece or so much week. They never
average over 81 or 50 in these establish
ments. The girls who run folding ma
chimes are paid about the same salary
Female cigar makers are generally very
well paid, as they belong to the union and
are allowed union prices.
And then there are hundreds of girls
employed in shoe factories, rag establish
ments. peanut houses, and printing offices.
In all these places their work is valued
much less than that of males, and when
they work on salaries their wages are coz
siderablY smaller The pay for labor in
such places varies greatly, and depends
almost entirely upon the liberality of the
employer. / know shoe manufacturer
who pays his girls IS or $10a week apiece
and another who pays less than half that
much. In the houses where girls are en-
ployed in asserting rags they generally
earn from 50 TO So week and in print
ing offices If paid according to the type
they set they would earn nearly as much
as men They are much quicker workers,
their hands are more nimble and dexter
Gus. aud they apply themselves closer 10
the work.
i:ere comes weli-dressed party of
young ladies, said the reporter, indicat-
Ing little procession approaching.
les, F" s1id the other, they are sales
women in tue retail dry goods and notion
stores. They must always be well dressed
and refined In manners and appearance.
Other working women may wear rough
dresses suited 10 the kind of work in
which they are engaged but "a saleswoman
must always be scrupulous and neat in
personal attire. They generally begin as
cash girls at s per week, and finally get
behind the counter at So From this time
on their wages depend entirely upon the
value they are to the firm by whom they
are employed. There are seldom two fe
male clerks in a store working for the
same wages. Some can command larger
salaries than others by their greater num-
Der of acquaintance and the larger trade
they are able to bring to the house. Some
of the most valuable saleswomen of in
cinnati get rs high as $50 and $50 week.
But perhaps the best paid working
women are the miliners. Their salaries
depend upon their talent and adaptability.
and they frequently command incredible
wages.
And then te'egrdphing and stenog-
raphy and type writing provide places for
scores of bright young girls. As rule.
female telegraph operators receive two
thirds the average of men. Stenography
Is an requirement which any girl can
learn with profit. Those who make a
business OF il can always find employment
and make excellent wages.
Type writing has opened new field
fer Young women. They are almost uni
versally employed for this work. Law
.-yers aud merchants and all business men
like to have a pleasant young lady in the
Office. Her presence improves the moral
tone of the sanctum, and gives the place
an air of culture and refinement Type
writers average about $12 per week.
New Orleans fines Democrat.I
Froback has announced the discovery
of a method of making sugar without ]
crushing in pressing According to this
method the cane is cut into strips aud
the water is extracted by alcoholic
rapor, which leaves the mash to be dis
solved into liquid. The alcohol and
4