The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-01


OF their machines. The shirts when all
done but finishing require four gus
sets, six buttonholes. and five buttons,
and shis work is given out in large
quantities to women in tenement houses
They are paid for the common ones
sevenjcents dozen shirts, and for the
finest. shirts nine to nine and half
cents3a dozen shirts-forty-eight gus
sets, }slxtty buttons and seventy-two
butte holes! And men lose patience
whe1 the buttons fly off! Finishing
men drawers is about as bad. The
WORKS. Of necessity done in the most
rapid manner, and the buttons are
ready to fall off the first time they are
buttoned; but if these poor women
We're to stop to make each secure for all
time they would have to 90 hungry.
The rent is the heavy expense of these
work hrs, and the only way they can live
is to ub together en- famille or among
frie1 ;. and thus reduce their rent.
The cost of muslin, three yards,
and Naf yard of linen and buttons
and thread, enough to make one of the
finest quality of mems shirts, is about
fifty-tive cents, and the cost of making
it as they are now given out is about
twelve cents each. They sell at retail
for from $l.5O to 50 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-
facturers do not lose money on them.
Little boys percale shirt-waists retail at
seventy-fve 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 Tor these is ninety cents dozen,
all finished, with pleats in front and
back. 1t takes two yards of percale, al
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 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 quail
ity, and they 60 into the very poorest
and most miserable localities, where il
would seem like risk to send decent
garment, let alone pile of dozen.
And yet they are always safe and always
returned properly and promptly, II
makes no difference to the aakers OF
these garments whether thes get the
work from the manufacturer direct OF
fron contractor, as the psy is about
the game. The price varies from nine
cents pair to twenty-five for the very
finest. At the last price really good
wor kman can earn sevetty-tive cents g
daylof twelve hours. more, if she has q
little girl to help her in the pressing,
One of the saftdest sights in all the city
is that OF an aged couple who slave from
MOI ping till night to earn a subsistence
on Hne tailor work. They are both toe
old to have to work, and yet they tot
ceaselessly to keep a shelter over theil
heads and to live Independently and to-
getber. Their little home of one room
and; an alcove for bed is clean and or
derby. though every thing is very poor
In enc house is a widow who supports
herself by finishing shirts and drawers
and in answer to query as to how sht
managed, she told a story that has bu
too many like it. She earns on an aver
age; the year round two dollars ant
seventy-five cents week. She pays fiv'
dollars and twenty-five cents month fol
REM, but young girl who works in :
sadalery factory pays her So rs a weel
for: board and sleeps with her. Thu
room was bare of every thing save twt
chairs, common wooden table, .
sto7e, lamp, bed and few dishe
and pots and kettles. The floor wa!
bara, but she said she had some carpet
which she saved for winter. She has .
sewing-machine which she rents TO;
TWENTY-FIVE cents week, and so it help
her: to pay her wash bill. She says sh'
prefers shirt-fnishing because it re
auires no thought nor care. 1t has be
come mechanical, and it leaves he
mind free to plan her expenses and t
think how to get the most nourishinl
food for her money, and she is not un
happy. But it is rarely that any on
has the ability and forethought to regu
late her expenses as does this woman
Besides, the majority of women wh'
work for pittance have children, an.
with them there is no chance to thin
or to make rules as to expenses, or fol
low them. Very many women who's
husbands work in the laborious AM
least paid callings take in rough SEWN!
to help along in their household expense
or in providing clothes and shoes
and of course, their earnings are yer.
small; still they work as har'
as they can. In two places wer
two women working with all thei
might upon ladies silk mitts. Thes
are given out uncut, one yard of mate
rial making just one dozen pair, &C
cording to pattern furnished. Tn
thumb pieces were already cut. III
material is a soft pliable silk, quite diff
cult to cut unless you have an extr
good pair of scissors, and even then
will take half an hour to cut them on
and adjust the thumb pieces to tn
proper place. They are sewn on ma
chine and the thumb has two rows o
stitching. For these the manufacturer
nav five cents dozen pairs. They sci
at one dollar per pair at retail. An ex
pert worker can make one dozen pairs
after they are cut out, and finish then
in two hours! Five cents for two hour
and a half'a work! The only thing u