The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-04-27
The SWEATING SYSTEM.
The White Slaves Of New York
Should Soon BIO Free.
THE TENEMENT HOUSE FACTORIES
And their Horrors...Ncw Yorli's Gov.
crnor hns n Bill in his Hands to
Abolish tho Observation-Disclosures nI.
~ Opposite Views OF Two Typical
Manufacturers.

Manufacture
Ngw YonK, April 2O.-0n tho eve Of
the ad%journment'of the legislature Gen.
cral liusted, tho Republican member
from Wostcl,ester, obtained the pass.
ago by the assembly, under suspension
OF the rules, Of tho Roesch bill abolish.
ing the sweating system in New York.
Few indeed are the people outside
the workers themselves who realize the
significance Of the words "the sweating
systom.' There are in New York to-
dry 10000 refugees from Russia and
Poland, all settled in ono section Of the
East Side, and working under petty
contractors at their different trades s.
For years these fields OF laborhave been
o~vcrcrowded, but no word OF warning
has been powerful enough 10 keep these
unhappy creatures at home. The re-
cult OF this over emigration has given
tho contractors ample power 10 drive
these unfortunates as long and as hard
as they can work. OF the 10000 above
referred to 10000 are employed ut cloak.
making and 24,000 in making clothes.
OF these workers there arc two classes
those employed in the factories and
known as insiders" and those hired
By petty contractors and better known
as Sweaters"
INSIDERS" AND SWEATERS" i.
Those Of the first class are by far the
better of. They have fair homes and
average about slS q week for men and
$40 for women. There Is hardly any
comparison between them and the IN.
fortunate sweaters. In the ordinary
season they work at the lowest twelve
hours per day for nominal wages OF $40
per week. Those wages ,nre conditional
upon their finishing an almost impossi.
bic number Of garments. and rarely do
the workmen receive more than SIS.
Under the contractor the busy season
lasts only through six months; conse-
quently out oil these wages they are
compelled TO save enough to carry them
through the dull times.
Think OF n tenement apartment in
Chrystio street OF two rooms, q small
kitchen and a sleeping room, both Of
them together hardly comfortable for
men and women huddlod together and
working in every possible inch OF space
from daydreak until late at, night. The
stuffy quarters are bad enough in win.
ter, but when the summer comes the
lack OF ventilation, the heat outside and
the hot irons OF the pressers make it
almost impossible to breathe.
Til DAWN OF BETTER DAYS.
But now a hope for better things has
come to them. For years organized
labor has worked to secure some change
in the present laws which will lessen, ii
it does not eradicate, the evil. At last
a bill was introduced into the legisla.
ture by Senator George Roesch, of this
city. which has passed the assembly
and is now in the governors hands ior
signature. The bill is known as the
factory inspectors bill, but the most I'M
portant clause to labor is the following:
mo room or rooms, apartment or
apartments, in any tenement or dwell
ing-house shall be used for the manu-
facture OF coats, vests, trousers, knee
pants. overalls, cloaks, furs, fur trim
mings, iur garments, shirts, purses,
feathers, artificial flowers. or cigars, en-
cepting by the Immediate members OF
the family living therein.
mo person, firm or corporation shall
hire or employ any person to work in
any one room or rooms, apartment or
apartments. in any tenement OF DWELL
i%ng-house . : . without frat obtain
ing a written permit from the factory
inspector, which permit may be revoked
ut any time. a . 9 The maximum
number OF persons allowed 10 be en-
ployed therein shall be stated in such
permit and it shall be framed and post
ed in n conspicuous place i'll the room or
in one OF the rooms to which it relates"
II this bill becomes n law it mean a
new life and condition for the worker.
VIEWS OF A MANUFACTURER.
Imam Interview with Mr.. Meyer Jonas
son, OF Meyer Jonasson & Co., No. 35s
Broadway, n Of the largest cloak man.
uiacturers in the country, ho was asked
what wonld be tho probable effect OF the
bill. II am sure the bill will do great
good" he said, "for it must do away
with some OF tho evils that now exist,
and will give more regularity to the
lives Of the workingmen. In my own
case | have tried the contract plan
thoroughly. Two years ago l gave it up,
and since that time T lave employed
my own mon in my own factory. Now
they only work from eight in the morn
ing until six ut night, and they have an
hour for their dinner. I find that with
these hours l can get better work out OF
my people than when, after working
sixteen or eighteen hours q day, they
start the next morning already too tired
to do good work.
~ hope tho bill will become a law, not
only for the good 1t will do the workers,
but if it is carried ont tho garments will
DO healthier and better in every way.
THINKS THE BILL WILL DO NO GooD.
Most OF tho houses in the trade use
the contract system, cithor wholly or
in part. Mr.. Albert Friedlander is the
head OF A. Friodlander & Co, No. S77
Broadway. When no WIS asked a SIM
liar question about tile bill he said.
"The bill will not be of any benefit, l
think, for these people are not so badly
of, nor will they better themselves II
they have q chance. They work BY the
piece and will work until they drop in
H| IL - al = ta., " vs