The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-19
he got judgment for $1,000. which was reversed,
but the jury last evening increased the amount
OF damages by awarding him $4,000



The Amount Earned by New York Sewing
Women-How They Are Ground to Death.
New York Herald.
1t is estimated that between 125, 900 and 150
600 women in this city are solely dependent on
their own labor for a livelihood. A very large
proportion of these-it is impossible to say how
large-have husbands, brothers, fathers, moth
ers, children and other relatives dependent upon
them.
What do they earn7
Probably S. week would be fair estimate
of the average.
What do they spend it fora
Lodging, food, fuel, clothing, fares and flor
human nature cannot subsst on bread alone)
such luxuries as they can obtain.
Surprising the man with only one or two thou.
sand year should stop to think what luxuries
he could obtain if he had to live on S. week all
alone.
Then supposing he should figure on supporting
one or two other persons on that sum.
II that could be done, carefully, he would be-
gin to see what the working woman knows.
One of them. whose name can be given, was
interviewed yesterday by the Herald.
II have been working" she said, ION ma
chine for more years than can remember. All
| can say about it 10 that when was learning |
went to see the Are when Barnums Museum was
burned on Ann street"
This was quarter of q century ago. The
Herald building stands where the museum stood
VERY few women" said the reporter lean
run a sewing machine like that"
Every true" she said, ''but I am unusually
was time after was married. before nay hus-
band failed in business and in health, when /
didn't work for wages but have had to do SO
since he got sick. run my machine now from
z in the morning till 10 or Ii in the evening and
have now the very best class of work that any
body can get on ladies' understandings"
How many hours of actual work does that
represents"
That will be at least thirteen hours hard la
bor not counting the intervals take for meals
How much can you earnP
II might. perhaps, in six full days of that. If
work was steady, make Sc. but that is probably
an oyerestimate. / never have made as much
as that"
What is your experience with employers"
81 have had great many different expert
erces, but all together they justify me in saying
that woman is doing remarkably well who. by
working on a sewing machine and furnishing her
own thread 1--WE all have to do thatl makes So a
week. / remember one firm went to in Broome
street. They gave me what they said was their
best work. 1t was the finest kind of ladies'
drawers. They told me they paid from seventy
fve cents to 81. 70 dozen pairs for making
them. made one dozen. IL took me day and
half TO do it, and they paid me seventy-fye
cents.
lone time got some corset covers to make.
There were twenty two seams to run on each
one and fifty buttons to sew on and fifty button
holes to make to each dozen, and there was the
trimming of the neck and arms to do. was to
get ST.. 70 a dozen for them, hut had to make
deposit of ST before l could get the work. Then
/ asked them about the cotton thread was tn
use, and they told me / must buy it from theL
They were firm in Walker street.
'1n the old times fifteen or twenty years ago
such thing was not heard of as making the
sewing women buy their own cotton but now,
even when the girls work in the shops where
they are employed. and get only 65 cents dozen
for making chemises, they are charged cents
dozen for the thread they use.
II could get work by the hundred dozen at
that price, of course, with the understanding
that / get it done at a cheaper rate by other
women, but L won't Understand thai these
chemises are of a good grade. They are such
as sell readily for so cents apiece. and chemses
are sold as low as IL or 10 cents apiece
'slIiiie firm that offered me that recently
bought in, see Sy the papers, the property they
occupy for nearly $l50.O00.
II had an experience with Bond-street firm
that is worth telling I took few fancy
chemises to do at So a dozen, and thought had
some splendid work. sent the first lot home
and got my pay. They sent me some more that
were harder to make They had more work on
them did three dozen more. and they said
they had paid too much for the first lot, so they
only paid me ST. 70 dozen for the second lot
didn't know as much then az / do now, or
would have gone to the Working Women's Pro
tective Union, and they would have made the
firm nav me the rs cents"
"What is the remedy for 1t all7' asked the re-
porter.
"First. woud never buy a ready made under
garment By patronzing the firms that make
business Of making and selling them the bread is
taken out of the mouths OF the women who work
for them | was talking to lady of wealth
the other day about that, and she said she would
never do anything like that. She would buy the
material and eEIploy somebody to make her gar
ments
But would pass law compelling employers
to pay their help by the hour. This piecework
is what is crushing the working women"
1t was so hopeless to continue this discussion
that the reporter forebore. His note book, how
ever, is full of facts that easily be cited to
show that the path of the workingwoman is
narrow and dangerous one. On the one side are
the exactions of employers, and on the other is
the broad. deep gulf of dishonor. To the honor
of the women be it said that most of them con-
tinue to tread the path of rectitude. though hun
dreds Of cases can be cited in which the employ
ers have deliberately crowded thei.' employees off
for the qualification of their own desires A vol
urne could be written on such cases alone. and
the publication of names would involve some of
the estknown business names in the city in the
foulest scandals