Wichita eagle., 1888-10-03
THE CUFF AND COLLAR.
NIMBLE FINGERED GIRLS WHO EARN
GOOD WAGES EACH WEEK.
Corner Turning an Art in Making Col.
lars-Ironers and Starchers Well Paid.
The Skillful Suspender workers-A
Woman's Starch Making Secret-Wagcs.

The skillful suspender workers-A
woman's Starch Making Secret-wsgcs.
Who has not heard ''The Song Of the
Shirt" but the song Of the cuff and col
lar remains get to be written. and the
carol of the suspender would make en- ex-
cellent new poem. The wicked man who
/ purchases shirt for 81, which some poor
woman has made for five cents, is also
righteous because he wears a collar made
by girl who earns $35 week and cuffs
turned out at s25 weeks wages
/ "You don't beheve that collar maker
can earn $35 a week." said the repre-
sentative of a large house that deals in
these tr.1es. SIT does sound rather large,
and / will admit that there are only q
couple of hundred girls that | know of
earning that amount for that work, but il
you doubt my veraeity, why go up to our
factory and ask the girls themselves.
You know the great secret of making q
collar is to turn the points perfectly
square, and there are very few women
who can do that. The best collars are
made four-fold-that is, there are two
thicknesses of linen in between she outer
coverings, and 1t takes considerable skill
to stitch them, turn them and stitch
again. The girl whose fingers and eyes
can do the work nicely need never lack
for a living as long as men need collars
Inquiry at one or two collar factories in
town revealed the truth Of the young
mans remarks. The girls who make the
first quality of linen collars earn on an
average from S25 to $35 week. Their
work is all piece work, that is they are
paid by the dozen, and the amount they
earn depends largely upon how much time
they spend each day at the machine
The cuff makers come next in price to
the collar makers. The work has not TO
be so perfect, but badly turned corner is
not accepted, and adopts earn from $i5 TO
$50 week. good collar maker can
turn out about ten dozen collars day,
sometimes more. Five dozen pairs of
cuffs is considered an excellent days work.
OF course this does not include buttonhole
making, which is done by machine.
Washing and ironing have not always
been considered lucrative employment, yet
we have girls III our collar and cuff factory
who make $15 TO S13 week at it." said
the proprietor of one of the largest fac
tories in the state. Every one knows
how perfectly new collars are ironed.
Some Of the work is done by machinery,
but most of it by hand. The starcning il
the principal thing to get right, and good
starcher, who does no other work. can
make fully as much as an ironer and often
more.
A STARCH MAKING SECRET.
zone girl in our factory has . secret
way of making the starch, and allows no
one in the room but her little sister while
she is making it. She puts certain guam
tity Of borax or wax in IL that CLOSES the
linen beautifully, and we pay her s25
week just for her talent When her little
sister gets old enough and has learned the
secret well we shall take her into our en-
ploy."
what do the medium class ironers and
starcbers maker was asked.
VERY few fall below a. but think
the average is about $40 The work is
very tfresome, Of course, but most Of our
girls seem to stand il well, and never
heard Of one Of them dying Of consump-
ton. Indeed we took in frail Ettle
thing of eighteen who bad been a drtss-
maker. The doctor SAM perhaps the work
might save her, and IT did She is DOW al
plump and rosy as though she had never
had a sick day"
II would seem from this Information a.
though laundry work wss not the drudgery
It is thought 70 be. II was learned that
the ironers at the many Troy lauDdries In
this city earn from SO 70 ti5 on an aver
age, and extra good ones more. A can't
for each collar or cuff b frequently paid
the best froners, and some at them iron -
many as 300 day. This, q course, By
machine.
Suspender makers are another cia0 o.
women workers, who, If profcisnt, can
man an excellent Living. Il l. said tAaA
there are only two women known 70 the
trade who can set in the small extra p3ecc
Of leather AZ the buttonhoae on the Amer
class Of s1spenders This piece q an sx-
ira lining 20 hold TIE button hole stitching
well, snd must be placed without .
wrinkle. These two woskeFs make sore
$40 . week ons Is che wife Of . rso e
do clothisr and works for enc frm oriy.
Ten cents q dozen u ths E.AsnseesoA
SUD paid for stitching the cheapest sc,-
penders; 81 day IL considered fasr wages
8. that class Of work A daslas ecssn
Is shout TIE usual price paid for Sfse bsss
class x work, end 9 very smart WOMAN
can make - . dsy.
Csekties we're at one time excellent pay,
bat thsy are DO longer tie Intricate thfnSs
they were IN the dAyB 0 '1bAigs eoseYs,"
and Only few women ekxn mare MAC
HytoR making them -HeU York Journal