New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-07-06
INSPECTING THE FACTORIES.
GREAT IMPROVEMENT FOUND OVER LAST
YEAR.
THE WORST DISTRICT EAST OF THE Bo"EKf-
CHECKING THE EMPLOYMENT VI
CH1LDREN-sCEYEs IN THE
WORK ROOMS.

The annual visit Of the state Factory inspectors !"
., ,, ended Yesterday and the record of Their WORK
.h,,rs the necessity of their Office on June uIo
,auu,v inspectOrS George schaubcrt Hiram bidh''O
George A. Mckay Francis W. Coe, Johnson beers an"
NJ Jordan If Brooklyn under the diccuo" VI ,'
Francv Assistant state Factory Inspector oeS'"
work In this city and Brooklyn OF eniorc'Hs '"p ~,
ance with the laws relative to sanitary CONDITIONS NV
labor the protection Of dangerous machinery anu NV
providing Of fre-c>capes anu du'""i"'
yator shafts IN factories.
In An interview with Tribune reporter MI r'"''S
spoke enthusiastically of the work done anu NV r
eral improvement found In the factories "o,u
conditions existing last year. lie sdlu'
crc,t change going OH all the time IN tue i"o'oi'0'
here There are many new ones ionho oS US ~. w.
a ord factories once dirty are now Clean ana 'ne
propretois take pride in showing 'iel' all. "D-1 o.
mo inspccti6u laws are Of great bencit' ln'IV - a.
nec,auv q great Improvement in the sanitary GNU
,ion, now existing particularly In accohnoo"u =,
the sexes Unfortunately there seems 10 Do N'''o
crease in the number Of children empi"'on' p''
heretofore the inspector only gave the proprietor
10 discharge them, the inspector no" ass ., on
himself n once when found and waits nntl IDe' ~
nome This change. think VIII be peheH'i"'
LITTLE OPPOSITION MET WITH ,...
rho ipsna,tnrs have met with comparatively "''i0
opno.itlon when on their rounds. and nave a. '.0
80, ,ro,,ad courteouslv and even helped IN tle per
T,fvf~
,r,a,ce ~ their duties. But there Is one ll'"s
t,sb von 10 call attention 20 in The Tribune anu '
Il the frghtfnl condition of tenement Iio"se -,
and the almost utter mpoSSibhty under ''e 'N""
law Of forcing tho prophet to make d o"''e r,'I
-, ..roci,llv A. 10 ovcrcTowdnc III Smdl' "I'"H
ICONS Of men, women and children pHrlhE '"o IA
,i, This wear we have found it necessary 70 arrest
a,.,-,, nronrictors who had been warned against
,io,tions of the law, vet persisted III cohnule ''1
,rfr,ction. But l think they will be more ca'V'"
hereafter - A., oi.,. was
Ia facilitate the inspection Of factories the c'N wa
6;yi5od into districts and a deputy HNPc'V'
auottea 70 each district follows; From OaAais -.
,st Of Broadway to the Battery. George s'I""''l''
- Caualst cast Of Broadway, Ia the hat'1E'
r,arcis W Coe Between Canal and Eighth N'''' e'''
~ proaAwav IN the BOwery johnson hecis. '''>'
~ the Bowery. George \. Mckay. Above lNe"N
,hi,ast east and west. Hiram blanchard. Mr. fl""V'
established his headquarters in the sinclair HOUSE
broadway and Eichth.st. and supervised the h'9Pc'
lion ready at moments notice 10 attend 70 speo'"'
cases fonnd by the deputies where u was "0'0''
10 invoke the power Of the law
FEW FACTORIES WITHOUT FIREFSCAPEs'
According 10 Mr. Schaubert the condition OF the
iac,orie, In his district shows great uprovcm nv !"
said that not more than twenty factories were wi'ho"
free,capes and that the Improvement in thus respect
was al least 90 per cent. lie also noticed laFee
decrease in his district Of the number of children ue
sixteen years old who wcN employed. In most odSS
be believes violation, Of the law IN relation 10 |o
employment Of minors to be due IN great part !"
ignorance.
one amusing experience that Mr. Scha"'cFt hdu
was in cloak factory in Duancst.. where the pro
preior praised the inspection laws 10 him IN EnGI'h
and then turned to his partner aud foreman ana
speaking in German. reviled the deputy inspector d.
nuisance bcrated the state law and gave certain IN
structions his foreman about showing the inspector
sround the building. Mr.. Schaubcrt, who speaks ter
nan huentlv allowed him to continue for a time ana
then politely told the proprietor in German that he
had understood all that said and was much Obliged
10 him for his opinion. he made a thorough lnspec
ton OF the building, which found TO be IN so0d
order.
While inspecting another factory in Duane-st. the
proprietor complained Of the behavior across the street
Of several men and women employed IN paper-ooA
factory. The obnoxious persons were at once us
charged by the manager Of the paperbox factory The
large majority Of the factories in this district nave
been inspected several times before and MI schauOer'
spent most of his time that his orders OF last
year had been complied with.
INTELLIGENCE OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS.
Mr. Coc was also struck by the improvement in the
existing conditions in the factories in his district
especially the protection % elevator shafts ana thc
number OF children tound who could read and WIc
English. In these points he thought the Improvement
was so per cent over last year. Altogether Mr.. Coe
ordered fifty reescapc> TO be erected, and six children
between the ages Of sixteen AID fourteen years VINO
coald not read or write English wer; discharged and
several who under fourteen years were also dis
charged. Mr.. Coo said he found general improve
men of 80 per cent. that the sanitary conditions were
better and the Law relating t. the projections OF danger
Gus machinery was generally compiled with.
In two factories. IL which gilt paper manu-
factured by a secret process and in which drop
snickelin-the sl1t' machines were made the pro
pIietOrs would not allow Inn 10 enter being afraid he
would lind out their trade secrets, Nj Ce Lad 10 force
his way in before he could make an inspection.
IN the district Inspected BY Nh Ieers he found many
children under the OF fourteen years than ever
before H. this district In corset factory in Broad
way nearly all the cmplOles found a. be little
girls, who were al once discharged spite Of The
protests OF the manufacturer who in Consequence was
lorce1 to close his place for tae time being until he
touh get new help. In factory in Elm st., where
fancy chains made nine BOYS under fourteen
we're found and discharged, and thi, place also
iosoed . suspend business temporarily.
THREATENED WITH \ THRASHINC.
Mr.. Beers met with an adventure in machine hop
IN Ezabeth-st., where he found a boy under sixteen
Who was without a certificate and who told 70 90
bone. The proprietor became exceedingly angry at
tbs. aud denounced the "mpertinencc" and inter
iaence7 Of tie Inspector. lie became violent al
isi that he threatened 10 strike Mr.. Becrs with a
hmmcr and throw MIN out Of III; window bat thought
bcter Of II when spoken % by Mr.. Hccr, H. all ex-
eemely forciOle way. Mr.. Beers also
threatened with bodily harm in clothing factory
Shee he found a small boy, and while questioning
nm was nterfeied with by the foreman, who objected
70 the quesgon asked and when demonstrated with
threatened thrash Mr.. Beers within All inch Of
MS NE Ne latter reported this 10 the proprietor
VhO discharged the obnoxious foreman
IN Tie Large district comprising all that part OF Tic
SIy above Twenty third ST. looked after By Mr..
ibahehaidi there were many children found at work
guy IN other respects there Is great Improvement
shd more general compliance with the stale Factory
iaN thah downtown. In the silk thread mill II
heirs A.. Mus, No. 5Ol West Fiftcth-st fifty girls
NeIc ioHu between the age, Of fourteen and sixteen
!tdiH WHO were without certificates and six little
LII "luc' i""' tI years old Sc
SSnicd by VII. blanchard and the proprietor Nj.
n os' Was aIVs,rn ana I'VE charge, preferred against
N the Special Sessions Court was fined so on each
q four of the charges. In the silk rhIon r,ius -
Jacob New. IN West Fifty -hfthst two hn," ID.
age were found and Mr.. New was arrested and hold
m $500 bail for trial The boys were Sent homa az