The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-17

by extracts from an official report to the
British house of commons by Henry G..
Calcraft, labor correspondent of the Board
of Trade. Mr.. Calcraft described his in
vestigations as follows:
Joseph Wilks, a man of 10, l found
making 2H-inch cone-headed nails, for
which the price was 6 shillings pence per
100 weight. 1t took 1916 of these nails to
the 100 weight, and he would make 200
weight in week (SS12). With his wife to
help him he might make little more.
From this he had to allow for fire, rent of
shop and tools, which would be l shilling
6 pence per week. Across the end of his
hearth Wilks had a rough seat and bench
erected, on which sat two or three of his
younger children. He said he would
never have married if he had known he
had to be mailer all his life.
They lived mostly on tea and bread
and bacon. On Sunday they might be
able to get morsel of meat, or beef
cheek fox cheeky, to boil and make broth
with. Questioned as to the family budget
for the week the wife enumerated as the
chief items of expenditure two quarters of
tea at pence q quarter, four pounds of
sugar at 2 pence per pound, bread, )
-
10 pence for coal, shillingss for house
rent and shilling 6 pence for bacon. 6
shilings pence in all for living out of Is
shillings for weeks work, leaving but 4
shiilings pence for clothing and all other
expenses Beyond this she could not go.
and she was much better informed or more
willing to give information than most OF
the women questioned.
. 10. a. ~ i
wife were employed on dog-head spiles.
The man was thin and worn, though his
wife was stout. They had a family of
eight young children and it was evident
from Mrs. Walters appearance tina. this
number would soon be increased; indeed,
she was complaining of feeling very shaky
and had to go into the house and lie down
during the day. The pair of them could
earn Is or II shilings per week by work
ing fourteen to fifteen hours day. From
this they had TO find breeze shop rent and
tools, which would run up to . shiIiings
or shillings 6 pence week. Thus for
dog chains of say Az feet long. made of
M-inCh iron, and consisting of SO twisted
links. he paid ii each. A very skilliul
woman could do II dozen in a week il she
worked IL or Il hours per day. Her rent,
tools and fire would possibly run up to
sfilincs for the week.
Mrs. Davis is the wife of a wise maker
and has family OF ten children. Her hus-
band is much out of work. She is making
the best small chains. and is one of the
best in the trade. One of her daughters
blows for her. Mrs. DAVIS says she might
earn 5 shillings per week if she stuck all
her time III the workshop. Two of the
family were at work as chain maker and
wise maker. and earned shillings, and 3
shillings pence respectively. Their rent
was shilllngs 3 pence, and there was 9
pence 10 pay for schooling. How the fam
lily lived from one week TO another she
really could not tell. Several of the chill
dren were without shoes and how to get
them Tor the winter she did not know
They had TO be content with bread and
butter. or bread and lard, and tea to most
meals. but sometimes they would have
bacon or fish and bread 10 dinner. That
day they had only Cruel. They used three
pecks o! flour u week al Shiihngs peck
They had to make one-quarter pound of
tea serve the week, and about two pounds
of butter at l0pence pound. They occa-
sionaly got for Sundays dinner bit OF
meat, such as 1t was. II will be noticed in
this case. as IN many Others that very
large families are the rule rather than the
exception among these workers.
Another woman on small change saws
she can clear shilliugs l04 pence week.
but has 10 attend 10 housework. On her
smlthy hearth she has a box rugged up for
the accommodation of three children.
which are half her family. Her husband.
she said, was a day laborer, and earned 3
shillincs 70 shiihRgs pence q day. She