St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-24

L
or running about all day.
''Don't you find it tiresome to stand
all day?" l asked.
Maybe we would if we had time to
Think" they said, "but we're always in
such rush that we don't know how
tired we are until after working hours"
The windows were all open, but the
heat and smell of ammonia made my
head ache severely, then my nose began
to bleed, so that l could not work.
The hot air came up through the eleva-
tor shaft from the ovens in the base
ment. A ventilating shaft had been
provided, but the heat was still intense.
The smell of ammonia came from mill
in one corner of the room, where the
substance is ground.
The girls assured me that the heat
was not so bad except in summer. II
don't see how you can stand all day in
the heat and work as hard as you are
required to-" / said to one girl who
claimed she had been there long time.
'.Not many girls can work here long,"
she said, "but had rather put up with
the heat and hard work, because we can
laugh and talk among ourselves all we
like, so long as we do the work. She
seemed truly thankful for small favors.
That was the longest forenoon | ever
LIKED TO LEAVE.
The girls were very jolly and talka-
tive; they took me all over the building
and showed me the various kinds of
work.
"How many hours do you work a
day?" [ asked.
"Usually about ten hours, sometimes
more, if there's rush."
''Do you get pay for oyertlme""
'sYes, sometimes"
'How much pay do you get week?''
/ asked. thinking that about SO week
would be fair wages, considering the
work.
''It depends on your quickness and
GA girl just beginning may get only 50
or IS a week, and the best packers
get Sc.
"How long do you have to stay to get
Sc week?" [ asked.
The girls couldn't tell for sure, but
many said they had been working a
long time and only got 81 week. 1
remarked that the wages seemed low
and one girl said: "Our wages are even
less than they seem, because the work
isn't steady; we sometimes don't work
more than four daysin in the week."
"Why is that?''
DccduSe tueIc Is OlISH Wolh oIiouSu
for the whole week, but we are made to
rush, doing six days work in four days
time and of course getting four days
pay for it. Then we can rest the other
two days and get ready for hard work
again."
This seemed to me good plan for the
employers benefit, but under such con-
ditionS it was not wonderful that girls
almost despaired of making a living.
| was at first much amused at the dress
assumed by the girls, but soon found
that the dirty work and the heat made
it advisable to wear no more nor better
clothing than is absolutely necessary.
worked as fast as | could, but the
foreman said L didn't do enough, so he
told me to help some other girls clear up
the place.
Clearing up" meant only setting the
various kinds of boxes in orderly array
and letting broom touch the floor at
intervals. There was coating COM
posed of crumbs, dirt and jelly about an
inch thick on the floor. We didn't
scrape it off. l thought perhaps they
left it there to preserve the wood. All
things come tc an end: so did that days
work, and l had no wish to repeat the
experience.
THE BRIGHT SIDE.
NO one must suppose from my various
letters that the situation in Minneapolis
is one-sided or different from that of
any other large city. / have devoted
my researches to those features requlr-
ing redress. Next Sunday l want to
show GLOBE readers the bright side of
working life in Minneapolis. l want to
tell of employers who are generous as
well as enterprising, and for whom it is
a pleasure to work; of how girls make
good wages and live well, and to show
how much better Minneapolis is than the
overcrowded, low-priced cities of the
East. EVA GAY.