New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-28
PRISONERS OF POVERTY.
1ovEy wAGE-woRKERS, THEIR iHApI0
AND THEIR LIVES.
ny yxLxS CAMPBELL
Copyright. 1885,

VI.
nnaE METHODS OF PROSPEROUS Flhhs'
a. ,u.tice TO employer as hell as employed IL
Al. .,ow.c object of these papers. yet AZ the
80, s,ss on and the methods made necessary by
cosaoetitiou become more and moro clear. II Is
evident that back of every individual case OF
wrong and oppression lies a deeper wrong ana
mcre systematizsd oppression. Master and servant
alike arc IN the same bonds, and the employer Is
driven NJ mercilessly as he drives He may deny
IT, lie may even be quite unconscious OF his own
suhiseton or if he thinks at all of its extent, may
look eav,onsly st the man the corporation that
has had mower 70 ensavs him. The monopost
xeyerss not only the market but ths bodies and
souls Of all who provide wares for hat market
yet the fsscns alton of such power is so tremendous
That n stand side by side with him is the dream of
every Wong merchant: the goal on which MS eyes
arc at from the beginning. Only In Ike power Is
INV satisfaction 70 he found. Any result below
this hisn-water mark can be counted little else
than fss,imre.
To this end, then, tolls the employer of every
rraie bringing verv faculty to bear on the lessen
ing ot waste whether In material OF time ithe con-
narration CT every force working in line with his
purrusa Naturally. tue same effect is produced as
that m -ntioned in previous paper Inc employees
come ~ represent $50 much producing power,
and are driven al full speed or shut on suddenly
like the machines of which they are the necessary
but 81 Il more less accidental associates Cer-
tain formulas are used. evolved apparently from
erperi.nee and CARRYING with them an assurance
of 40 rn,ch yei hut inevitable conviction that
IL u difficult To penetrate below the surface and
reali,e that while in degree true, thev are IN
vrea.er derree falsa In various establishments
large and small beginning with Que, the pavroi
Of wh;ck carries ,is2 employees, and ending WIN
enc having 'ly a third this number, the ons-
ness Manager nade invariably tho same statement
eve make our money from incidentals rather
THAI from any given department You are asking
particr arly sbOut suits. / suppose you'u think IL
incrcii be but ia suits We work at dead loss IL N
only an accommodation TO Onr customers that
1nakas us keep that department Open Ihe
work should be put on; IN mean sny prcht, hut we
can't do that with the choicest materials, and so
W. make II up 10 other directous You wonld
have to 20 into business yourself TO understand
lust how we driven"
ssuprose you refused 10 be drivenf hrrn OF
Your standing must have matters gooc &c IN
its hands Suppose"
Sapros- r. The manager threw ont his hands in
n gesture more full of disclaimer than any words
There il no for suPposes in business
madame We do what we How are we to
cnsnrrte with q factory turning out suits by
steam pcwerf Not that we wOud com7ete There
"a really no OCCASION" be added hastily " Bot
their methods certainly have al unpleasant nhu-
euee. and we are ed take them into account
s!ishtlS."
@TLea your statement wodld be, that 0
mater how expensive the suit made up, you can
make 10 profit on IL n
aAbsolGtely pone4 IL is a concession to customers
wh,ms We could hny the sauna thing and sell to
her as half the price bat she prefers TO select ma
te-1sls and have them put together in our work
rooD and We alu~t humor her. Bat rents are 30
enormous that the space for everv woman en-
YloysI bg rs In these departments may DO said 10
rAgresent simply 80 mary cubic feet in good coin.
bringng Us no return. Our profits are dwindIIng
with every vaar."
sM;ght not cooperation -"
Aealn tho manager threw out his hands
@sirnply anotnsr form Of robbery. We have in
ysstigatoi the history OF cooperation and 1t does
not appear to affiliate with Our Institutions. Inc
lameatable ia lure OF the Cooperative Dress Asso-
oi.tlon oneh, 10 be the answer to that suggestion
No madame There is profit in suits. or IN any
form, of raAe-up clothing tor ladies wear II 1t -
done on the promises You have 20 turn IL over
In rho wholesale man ufa cturrr if you want profit
Having heard this statement in many forms, and
recognizing the fact that Increase Ia reHts az
well AS in sTstomatized competition, might well
have reduced profits. it still appeared ineredihie
thst .be rates charged held no surplus tor the rin
Little by little 1t has b-corne possible To supple
uent each statement by others vi different order.
Nsttinr IL more difficult than TO obtain trust
worthy information regarding the methods OF
firm whose standing is such that 70 have served IL
is al~syss passport TO other employment; whose
,svmeets are regular and whore every detail Of
vorkrcom n beyond criticism Ii is no qn-st';n
OF Sarc-fsc7d robbery in that OF many cite'i yet
even here the old story tells itself n different FORM
sah with an element which. Ia many less rreten-
fions establishment has not yet been found to
exist
The work dOne be.c is piece work. French cutters
so1 attera r~oeiving from $50 to $50 week. give
that grarartee Of style and elegance which Is IN
hesaat ia everything bearing the stamp OF the firm
Experts rnn tho machines III tue sewing machine
roorc being pad By the DAY at the rate Of from So
e. g. per eek in tue busv season. The button
holes are made by women who do nothing else and
WHO are paid by the dozen. earning from 30 I" "
weekly All stitched seams are done In the
mach ne-room aud the dress passes from there to
the room TO the hands of the sewing girls.
who receive from 60 10 81 80 for each garment
The latter prioe Is seldom reached 81 90 or 20
paying for dress loaded with trimming. puts.
fnunces etc.
AT this rate there would seem % be chance for
vapfs good deal beyond the average but tisone OF
tie m written laws that girl shall exceed
e5 per wees; whether formulated by superintendent
or by Grn romans yet to be discovered. The one
unquestionable fact Is that If the superintendent OF
the verk-room fuds that any girl Is expert enough
70 make 'er this smouat the price per garment IL
doeked 20 bring her down to the level They are
never driven. On the contrary they must wait
ofteu two or thros hours at times for the arrival
of" Madame" who must inspect the work. drape
skirt, or give some suggestion rs to trimming No
entrea.y can induce the SUPERINTENDENT 10 give
ont another piece of wJrk winch might fiji this