The Arizona sentinel., 1886-09-04

bodies, in short, the other work, earn ol
 an average about the same with the ali
 of their machines. The shirts when al
 done but finishing" require four gus
 sets, six buttonholes and five buttons
 and this work IS given out in larg
 quantities to women in tenement houses
 They are paid for the common one
 seven cents dozen shirts, and for tn,
 finest shirts nine to nine and hal
 cents a dozen shirts-forty-eight gus
 sets, sixty buttons and seventy-twt
 buttonholes! And men lose patience
 when the buttons fly off! Finishing
 mems drawers is about as bad. ThC
 work is of necessity done in the mos
 rapid manner, and the buttons art
 ready to fall off the first time they arc
 buttoned; but if these poor women
 were to stop to make each secure for all
 time they would have to go hungry.
 The rent is the heavy expense of these
 workers, and the only way they can live
 is to club together eR fd7ntLle or among
 friends, and thus reduce their rent.
 The cost of muslin, three yards,
 and half a yard of linen and buttons
 and thread, enough to make one of the finest quality of mems shirts, is about flfty-tive cents, and the cost of making
 1t as they are now given out is about
 twelve cents each. They sell at retail
 for from S15O to 8 apiece. The
 cheaper grades cost less for muslin. No
 linen is used, and the price of labor is
 less, so that it is plain that the manu-
 lecturers do not lose money on them.
 Little boys percale shirt-waists retail at
 seventy-tive cents each. and they are
 difficult articles to make. Each is to
 have ten buttonholes, thirteen buttons, and triple collar. and cuffs. The price paid for these is ninety cents dozen, all finished, with pleats in front and back. It takes two yards of percale, at fifteen cents per yard, to make one. Little boys pants, which are nicely made, and which have each eleven strong buttonholes and ten buttons, three pockets and a double band at the waist, are paid for at nine and ten cents a pair, and some finish four pair in a day, few more. A widow and her daughter work with a machine and make these little pants. They can hard ly live and pay their rent and buy food Every little while there is no work and they live upon their wretched savings until that is gone and then they must sell or pawn something, and Heaven knows they seem to have little to spare.
 Mems pantaloons are given out in immense quantities, and of every qual- ity, and they go into the very poorest and most miserable localities, where ii would seem like risk to send decent garment, let alone pile of a dozen. And yet they are always safe and always returned properly and promptly. It makes no difference to the makers of these garments whether thee get the work from the manufacture direct or from contractor, as the psS is about the same. The price varies from nine cents a pair to twenty-five for the very finest. At the last price a really good workman can earn seventy-five cents lay of twelve hours. more, if she has little girl to help her in the pressing. One of the safiest sights in all the city s that of an aged couple who slave from till night 10 earn a subsistence 'n fine tailor work. They are both too )ld to have to work, and yet they toll | ,easelessl ly to keep shelter over their leads and to live Independently and to- yether. Their little home of one room md an alcove for bed is clean and or lerly, though every thing is very poor. n one house is a widow who supports lersef by finishing shirts and drawers, md in answer to a query as to how she managed, she told story that has but co many like it. She earns on an aver ge the year round two dollars and cents week. She pays five lollars and twenty-five cents month for ent, but a young girl who works in a addlery factory pays her S2 25 a week or board and sleeps with her. The oom was bare of every thing save two hairs, a common wooden table, a tove, a lamp, bed and few dishes nd pots and kettles. The floor was are, but she said she had some carpet, 7hich she saved for winter She has a ewing-machine which she rents for twenty-five cents week, and so it helps CT to pay her wash bill. She says she refers shirt-finishing because it re- uires no thought nor care. It has be- ome mechanical, and it leaves her lind free to plan her expenses and to link how to get the most nourishing pod for her money, and she is not un- appy. But it is rarely that any one as the ability and forethought to regu- Lte her expenses as does this woman. esides, the majority of women who ork for pittance have children, and 7ith them there is no chance to think to make rules as to expenses, or fol w them. Very many women whose work in the laborious and ast paid callings take in rough sewing help along in their household expenses
 in providing clothes and shoes, Id of course, their earnings are very a nall; still they work as hard J
 they can. In two places were ( 70. women working with all their I ight upon ladies silk mitts. These t e given out uncut, one yard of mate- al making just one dozen pair, ac- V riding to a pattern furnished. The | umb pieces were already cut. The I aterial is soft pliable silk, quite diff It to cut unless you have an extra V od pair of scissors, and even then it Il take half an hour to cut them out
 d adjust the thumb pieces to the opeI place. They are sewn on ma inc and the thumb has two rows of 4 tching. For these the manufacturers y five cents dozen pairs. They sell
 one dollar per pair at retail. An ex- 4 Tt worker can make one dozen pairs,
 CT they are cut out, and finish them U two hours! Five cents for two hours t' d half's work! The only thing in h favor is that it is light and can be u