Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-10
GIRL WORKERS IN COAL PITS.
A Picture Of Underground Life In the
Realm of King Leopold.
FfoW nc Chdrleroi RcrWe hadUsrrieNe.

A Picture Of Underground Life In the
Realm of King Leopold.
FroC ne CRdrIroi RcrUs LadUsrrisHe.
A young unmarried girl of II said in
reply to questions: "My work in the coal
pits begins at o'clock in the morning and
ends between 0 aud IL at night. 1 load
from sixty to seventy cars every day, and l
earn , frances cod. a day. l went regu-
larry 10 school from my eighth to my
twelfth year. l could read once, but
have forgotten itall now. Pit work ought
to be prohibited for girls"
Upon being pressed more closely by the
President she said it ruined the morals of
every g~ood-lOoking girl. THE Oyerseers
bride the prettiest girls by giving them the
best paid work
A married woman said: The week be-
fore last my husband earned Is francs
(lls.) He had never earned 4 larger sum
in Il week. 1t is impossible Tor Us to live
on such a wage. When l have bought our
food and firing the whole wage is spent; it
is not enough to cover rent and clothing"
The mother of a family replied: 81
scarcely know the taste OF meat"
Another young girl said that her work
ing bay in the pits began at l4 or D a. III.
and closed at IL p. H., iOI which she re-
ceiyed | france 81 Centimes to , RANGES. \
OUNCE sister left of work ut q p. M, but
she only earned - centimeS is. 3D.. }
Nearly all the girls volunteered, i'll almost
the same words, the emphatic statement,
Girls ought not to be allowed to work IN
the pits" and they were unanimous IN
their complaint of the temptations put in
their way by the Oyerseers.
The President asked each of them,
What nOurishment do you have? Do you
often take meat?'
One girl replied: Three months ago we
had some meat Oh our table; | have never
tasted any since" Another said: 81 take
a bottle of wafer with the fruit every
morning; | cannot afford coffee.
The President asked an old workman
who had spent his life in the pits why no
effort bad Ibcen made by them to bring
their condition before the notice OF the
public. ~ would gladly have given evil
denee," said he, but knew that should
be dismissed If 1 should tell any story
about the works. My comrades have
urged me to speak for them, rs | have had
so long an experience. But was afraid
to do it,"
His present wages are , frances n day
lis, Sd). When he was younger and
stronger he used to earn the sum OF :
frances 20 confines u day.
The President inquired if the workers
found regular wages or pieceworS more
profitable.
The day q is miserable" said the
old man, but piece work is no better,
for if the over seers see that n man earns
more by piece work, the terms are at once
lowered"
One Of the ,,~wOrking-claSs leaders, who
was examined at great length by the Presl-
dent and Commissioners, denied that the
work folk were Social reyolutiOnaries.
They win follow any leader in their de
spair, Int their own actual demands are
very simple. The President asked him
to formulate rs shortly rs possible the real
programme desired by the wOrkingmen
and women in the pits.
Speaking Of the employment OF children
he said: 1--WE want the work day for
children limited to eight hours, and their
wages fixed as follows: Children II to IL
wears l france 20 eentimeS n day Of eight
hours; from l3 TO IL years, l trance 6Ocen-
times; Is to II years, , frances.
The Presideut-Then you would not
abolish child labOr?"
I'VE would not abolish families. My
family consists of nine persons, only three
of us earning anything. We have to Keep
six who are not earners. The united year
ly income of the three of us who are work
ers is 800 frances
The President asked if they would not
like their children to go to school after
their twelfth year.
mo" replied the workman, lit is I'M
possible for the parents to wait until along
school term is ended, as the family needs
the wages uf the elder children. We have
not only to keep our young children, u
also our old people. After his hftieth
wear a man can earn but little in the pits,
ann is usually dismissed"
This speaker-whOm the workers were
Particularly anNlOuS W NC CN1hAhCN' ~
he is in good repute both as q workman
and an orator-told the Commissioners
that the average weekly wages Of the e
of household in full work is from twelve
to fourteen frames. ,"Ineed not say that's
family cannot live upon that; the wife
must work when she can, the children as
sOOn as they can"
A married woman, who had been q
worker in the coal pit, said: Il am the
mother of six children. We are very
poor; but | would rather starve thad that
one of my girls should go to work in the
pits. The oyerseers use all means in their
power to ruin the girls. If nothing else
succeeds, they viii put . timid young girl
to work in a solitary place until she IS
terrified"
When she was asked what wage her
family she replied that her husband had
thirteen francs a week, and one OF her
sons eighty confines a day.
To the question as TO the food OF the
family, she said: Livery Sunday and
Thursday / buy q pound Of meat; on all
other days we live on potatoes and bread