St. Paul daily globe., 1888-05-13
THE GIRLS HEARD FROM.
They Dissect the Report Of the Jobbers'
Committee
AND SHOW 1T IS one SIDED.
They Make Fair Proposition to Arbi-
trate Which the Firm Can't
Refuse.

committees to show to the publlc the
unfairnesS and discrepancies i'll the re-
port of the jobberS' committee. The
girls are fair and earnest, and their side
of the question is entitled to the same
full and fair hearing.
THE GIRLS STATEMENT.
The committee interviewed 100 girls
on the day when they received their last
weeks wages, and divided the whole
number reporting into three classes;
those earning ST and upward; those
earning from $3.50 to So, and those earn
ing lie, S than So. Forty-two girls were
found in the first class and their average
wages were S7.26. SiXty-three girls were
found in the second-class. and their av-
erage earnings S4.3S. SiXty-tiye girls
were found in the third class, and their
average earnings were S2.l9 Ihe JoD-
ampleS of weekly wages frame the
books of the firm. Take the
first example, which shows that
a beginner made an average OF twenty
four and one-half shirts per day, with
no allowance for lost time, during the
last five weeks of her first sixteen
weeks work. The highest number OF
shirts that can be made by the most
rapid workers is tWenty7four
per day. This girl must nave
been prodigy. This calculation was
made on basis of 81 cents per piece,
though some shirts have been made as
four shirts per day would amount to
=. cents. or S5.04 per week,
winch is ~ cents less than
this girl earned, according
10 the statement of the jObbers' COM
nittee. The girl who is reported TO
ssve made S5.51 per week during the
US six weeks Of twelve weeks work as
4 beginner is a greater prodigy still.
The girl reported to have made
H.43 during the last week of
nineteen weeks on Overalis,
would have 10 make forty-one pairs
each day, which we know to be I'M
possible In the statement of wages for
three consecutive weeks in March
thirty-tWo girls are said to have earned
nh average of 1924. Our report admits
that thirty-two girls can make an aver
age of $7.26.
THE CONCLUSION
drawn by the jobbers' committee on
these averages is evidently somewhat
cOloIed. as they state that the figures i'll
dicate that an expert hand can make
from ST to $3.50 per week, and the aver
age of the eighty, who are evidently the
only rises to S5.63. The average for
cOatmakers is entirely to high for ten
hOurs' work. SThoSe girls, besides
working noon hour, took pocket laps and
collars home to sew, making their hours
from twelve to fourteen per day. The
chairman of our committee, whom
they would lead people to believe is inca
pable of earning as good wages as others
working on same line of goods, would
ike to have any one who doubts her
efficiency call at Wyman ~ Mullins and
see her record. Her reason for leaving
last named place was to take a
position of forelady, for which
Mr.. Woodward hired her, but
which she did not get. She was
not sorry, however, when she learned
some of the publications necessary out
side of skill. We need not comment
npOn the peculiar conclusion drawn by
the committee, that because girl can
not earn as much wages working at low
rates as at high rates, she must, there
fore, of necessity have something upon
her mind.
COMPARATIVE PRICES.
We have not space at our disposal to
give the comparative prices of all the
articles made by this firm and those in
st. Paul, so we quote only few: Shirts
made by Shotwell. Clerihew & 10th
man, 81 cents: st. Paul. So cents jean
pants, II cents, VS.. 1415 cents; cashmere
pants, 81 80 per dozen; St. Paul. S2.35
and S2.15; duck ulster, IS; st. Paul, S12.
In regard to the statement that the
committee was assured that the charges
of ungentlemanly conduct on the part
of the superintendent are entirely
groundleSs, we submit the following
Statements by the girls, TO which affi-
daVit will be made by the girls, if de-
sired:
SOME SAMPLES.
''When one section of the lights went
put by accident last fall, and the girls
made Il rush for the elevator, MIR. Wood
ward drove them back like a lot of
rattle. He took hold of one girl and
shook her roughly and SWore at her,
and told the forelady not to give her
any more work, but she anticipated the
order of dismissal and did not come
back to work.
''NIr. Woodward cut the price of jean
pants from 10 to cents last February.
refused to take the pants, and he told
ne to take the elevator and l took it."
Il never averaged 50 per week since
Christmas, working for S., c. & l..
Now make 81 working for Wyman,
Mullin & Co. on the same work, and do
not work so hard.'
Mr.. Woodward told one girl that if
she did not go back to her seat he
would kick her down stairs. He is evi-
IDENTIFY "kicker" and a striker" !"
InaSmuch as the firm of ShotWell,
Clerihew Il LOthman have refused to
consent to an investigation of the diff
guilty between them and their late en-
ployes by the state labor commits
siOner or committee of investi-
CATION, impartially chosen, and have
al fn1
lion to arbitrate such difficulty
submitted to them by the executive
committee of their late employees, and a
further proposition to arbitrate, submit
ted to them by Rev. James McGolriclz
and Rev. w. Wilkinson, by the request
Of the mass meeting held at Harmonic
hall, but instead have adopted
the plan of having COM
mittee from the JobberS' association.
an organization with which the mem
OerS of the firm are connected and of
which q member of the firm is presi-
dent, which committee has made a re-
port without having asked or received
any statements or facts whatever
from us; but, on the con-
rary, have made their report solely
Oh the basis of information
furnished them by the firm and their
present employees, it is proper that the
RUuenuOn or the puDllc should be called
TO the fact that such report must. from
the nature of the ease and the way in
which it was brought about and CON
Quoted, be hopelessly one-sided and
worthless as an impartial investigation.
The jobberS' committee overlooked
the main points at issue:
FlrSt-A full and accurate statement
of all the cuts in prices that have been
made during the past year by this firm.
SecOnd-A full and accurate state
ment of the differences in the prices
paid by this firm and every other firm
doing q similar hnSinpCS in the ,H,uin