The morning news., 1889-01-18
VOVFNTO WOMEN'SHELP
,o1sr7MERs' LEAGUE AGAINST
eTARVATION-MADE ARTICLES.

TUoman VINO SIllCHeo tA0 SaA Ll0AC
1ros Paid Fair Wages - Women's
rrodes Unions in New York.
Copyright, 1880
x,,r Work. Jan. 12.-M,ss Ida NJ Van
17tta, Of the New York Working Women's
c.o;otv holds in her hand bundle OF pa
+be most casual examination of which
~ education in some of the difficulties
,nder which the prisoners of poverty stag
ger ...,. ,,o,,,,,,on+. :, ,o.+ou
tno,, Miss ARIA Huntington received in
Dooor,bar Miss Huntington is daugh-
+or of Bishop Huntington of Central New
varl, and q sister of good Father Hunting
go, who works among the East Side poor.
cho writes that as head of charitable ln-
s+i,r+ion in Syracuse atfording shelter to
1orro numbers of women she has been visited
~, an agent of Martin Cook & Lipser,
o,,orq the largest manufacturers of
vorneu's underwear in New York City,
orering a consignment Of garments to be
made and guaranteeing steady work and
l-nod wages to the inmates of the Home un-
Sar ber care The agent has a special com
MISSION TO visit charitable organizations ne
-otiotinr for labor contracts, and when
eeYostioned as to the reason for sending the
1T1o~l of the firm outside the city in which
the factory is situated he says that no ques-
zion of wages is involved, but that needle
women cannot be had in sufficient numbers
in New York. Miss Huntington is not sat
isaed. She is afraid that an effort is being
made to cut down the pittance of seam
stresses and she will not make philanthropy
cloak for pauperizing wOrkingwomen.
She writes that she has applied to Martin,
Cook a LApser for a statement of rates and
tbat meanwhile she would like some little
investigation set on foot in the city.
little later she writes again. An an
swer has come from the firm. The work
offered is corset covers and a sample is for
warded The garment involves quite an
amount of work, having many seams. 1t
REQUIRES four buttons and button holes, but
is untrimmed. The prise paid 45
cents dozen. Cotton is charged
for at the rate OF II cents
for ., 400 yard spool or the seamstresses
can furnish their own. Will she inform
them of the number of sewing machines
available by which to regulate quantity of
work sent3 Miss Huntington has submitted
the corset cover and the sum offered for It's
making to expert needlewomen. She is in
formed that with steampower a factory
hand could make the dozen IN day. With
machines run by foot-power in tenement
houses 1t would take nearly or quite two
DAYS toe earn the 45 cents, including, of course
the button hole and furnishings.
Miss Huntington refuses to compete with
starving women at such prices.
The third paper of the bunch is the re-
port of a committee set to look up mat
u ters in New York First a good needle
woman was sent to the underwear firm to
8 ask for work to take home, making a test
q case Of the claim that no workwomen could
be engaged. The woman reported that
work was refused her. Next woman was
told to apply who had a small shop and
Il might act, perhaps, as sweater. This
woman was offered corset covers and in
fants' slips. She asked what wages she
could give to the women who made them,
and was told that 25 cents dozen was
fair price to pay for the slips. These in
turn were offered for inspection to experts,
who reported that with sewing machines
run by foot power by sweaters slaves one
II slip could be made in one hour, giving as
the product of twelve hours continuous toll
+ quarter of a dollar minus cotton.
fused to think that so cents day marked
the limit below which it was impossible to
debase the wages of women, but there are
n many who are reduced by lust such compe-
tition with less thoughtful charities to 25
& cents
q Mss Van Etten is sitting in large, sub
Stantially furnished room. A fire is blazing
Il VI Iue utdIlu. lUS ulck6TlilR IlgDUS ana
shadows exploring the twilight. The shades
are not yet drawn, and from the windows
one looks out in the gathering dusk on some
OF the Oldest and most interesting houses in
Ne" ork, fronting Lafayette place, one
OF the quietest of the downtown thorough
fares. In the middle of the floor stands an
oak library table covered with papers
Rows Of bookshelves line the wall, hung with
warm red curtains. Dim figures appear
M one after another rauaal thaDnaalyyaS for a
mi cute IN the glow of the freight as trim,
Orght-eyed young women, who push aside
oIler red curtains forming heavy portieres
ana disappear in an inner room from which
comes the sound of voices, and in which a
wondering trebeam discloses a long table
eJ about, committee-wise, with chair
Miss Van Etten, who is the pioneer of the
/ euort Ior the intelligent organization of
women, shows as "a slight, gray brown
HaH9u woman from her seat by the fire.
III Que looks tired There is not much color
IL "er lace, but it is a very intelligent, ex-
lteSslVe countenance. It is meeting night
igr T one Of the branches of the Working
# "onens Society, and the members are
sa.1erng on their way from the factories
Aany of our girls come from Brooklyn
II. Jersey City, and they meet between day
suv and dark because it is too far for
a,I ,a,'n 10 come oac& after supper, and many
cant afford the car fare
iLS Is the headquarters of an organiza-
W "uch all seIf-dependent women in the
.r-y ounyfy owe debt of gratitude for the de-
.ulued stand it is making in behalf of
S1o' wages, shorter hours and more hu-
da,.e 3 treatment, and for the effort it never
.1Ss oa1ea 10 educate women in the needs,
nose ends ''-0-- ~
me hitting girl shadows belong to ener-
eai, young feather workers and their
rot5 formed union affords the best illus
7'TSo.o5N Vi the workings of the main body.
fao,ao5. are seventeen or eighteen feather
200 IS IN New York, employing about
vIor, |olneh and girls. more than 1 900 of
traJa nave this winter organized. The
~" Is considered one of the best for
and ''vI' "a. attracting "A very intelligent class
lpaylag from $40 to SIP to good work
law. v-'ou' Su' The average wages. however. are
ren tor. tCauSs of the great numbers Of child
ana cV+ pg ~ at work, and the yearly earnings
Tbo T,' uo"n by long slack periods.
eq.ot,Iulll union TO resist reductions has been
aDes " uuler competent advice and assist
Jern',' 'iia rs =. r. Huntington, Mrs Hewitt,
at'en5in ouhe and many well-known women
featb--IlNs some Of the meetings. The
shcn. workers have formed unions by
end Il. eacu shop having its set of officers
brspc nieeIlng nights the sessions of the
the lgt un'ons occupying the evenings from
shon ~, 10 yo Tue 18th Of every month. These
cor5,.li Unions report TO a central cornrnittee
baud ,noot ol delegates from all the branches
IL pronos' pro''Is '1 tortnghtly. Twice year it
HfII