Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-10-22

spike chain aud can earn shllings a
week, but only comes into the shop when
she can spnre time. Sometimes how
ever, she works on Til 10 at night IN an
other shop is girl OF o, who has been four
years at the trade making chains She is a
good hand and can earn shiiliugs to 10
shillings week
THE LIVELIHOOD OF An EXPERT.
MTs. Davis Is the wife OF wise maker and
has family Of ten children. Her husband is
much out OF work. She Is making the best
small chains, and IL one of the best at the
trade. One of her daughters blows for her
Mrs. Davis saws she might earn , sniings
per week il shestuck ail her time in the work
shop. Two OF the family were at work as
cnain mixer and wise maker and earned 6
shIllIngs and 3 shilliuSs g pence, respectively.
Their rent was shillngs pence, and there
was pence o pay for schooling. How the
family lived from one W, ok to another she
really could not tell. Several children Were
without shoes. and how II get them for the
winter she did not know They had to be
content with bread and butter, or bread and
lard, and tea 10 most meals, but sometimes
they would have bacon fish and bread TO
dinner. That day they had only Cruel. They
used three pecks of flour "A week at shilings
u peck. They had To make 4 pound OF tea
serve the week, and about pounds OF butter
at % pence d pound They occasionally got
for Sundays dinner bit OF meat such as il
was. 1t will he noticed in this case as in
many Others, that very large families aIe the
rule rather than the exception among these
workers.
BAcoS AND CHEESE THKm NEAIa
Another s.aman On small chain says she
c~u clear shiiHes 10i2 pence a week but
has 10 attend homework. On her smithy
hearth she has box riggedup for the accom-
mediation OF three children which are half
her family. Her husband, she said, was a
day laborer and earned 8 shillings to
shillings and peneta day. She was general
ly Mt work from in the morning to 6:30
III the evening. Iheiv rent was , shIiings and
. pence, bu, even with her husbands wages
and her earnings she did not think she could
live we'll She had not tasted meat for three
days. and bacon and cheese what they
mostly had with their bread. This is a strik-
ing case as showing that even where the hus.
band earns wage as u laborer much above
the average of the chain makers ia this Local
Ity, the wife spends nearly all her time in the
shop Tor shllings lOla pence a week. with
the evident result that, at least, all she may
earn Is los, by detective housewiery and neg
lect Of family
There are some children here asleep in a
box, where their mothers have placed them.
OF these workers. two divide 10 shillings be-
tween them weekly. aud the other takes 8
shiIlings pence. They work all day and
e, en- have their meals taken to them at the
shop. The inspector, they said. had been
there the day before and prevented them
working long hours, so that they would earn
less wages now.
question as TO how much il cost them for
butchers meat was received with scorn!ul
laughter Meat and potatoes, it appeared
was treat reserved for Sundays only, aud
very often they did not have any then Ii
may be taken u general rule here that the
standard OF living reaches ALWAYS its highest
point on SUI day, and falls of Gsy by day
until the Saturday. Even in the case If this
man. who with his wife and family seemed
above the average OF his fellows, this wa so,
and on the day of my visit he had break
listed on oatmeal cruel; not wholesome oat-
meal pOrridge, but thin, watery Cruel For
dinner there had been the familiar bread and
bacon, of which latter, - pound had to serve
the whole family few other items of hi s
weekly budget were: coal, l shilling pence;
4 pound tea at pence; 2 pounds butter at
10 pence; and potatoes, occasionally, came
to pence.
SAMPLE AVERAGE WEEKLY WAGES
Mr.. Green has further furnished me with
written statement as TO the averag e earnings
OF his work people, from which the following
particulars are extracted:
Ag g@,5Sao o3 4 Ns12is
Wurkpeuple. Wages.
no men or $3.50
200 women or ltS
10 youths or l92
30 girls or l32
so young women or les
Particulars taken from the books OF the
firm for a week give averages as follows:
Nailers Chain Makers.
s. d. q.
Men "a . or $40 20 or $40
" omen ................... gor LA or 1.76 !
Youths ........-.......... or l.S2 u or 290
Girls ................... or 81 ....... ..
Young Women. g Z or lbs or pos
Such is the report OF the government inves-
THE MIsERiFs OF cRADLEY HEATH
Cradley Heath is ut the other end of the
" Black Country" from Wigan, and | weat |
there alter lea wing Manchester. That is where
women by the hundreds are to be found |