Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-01-05
assed through the Railways of almost

SIOpo anu lttl HIS way llhc hi VAIipioi
of the Mammoth cave. At the fifth
landing the guide knocked at closed
door. 1t was opened, and he strobe in
The room had but two windows, and
we counted sixteen workmen at the
bench or ON the machine. They were OF
the black, scraggly bearded Russian
type, and they worked on stolidly after
one look at the visitors.
The "boss" came forward with that
apologetic air which Russian Hebrews
have and asked our business. The
spokesman of the party said we had
come to inspect the shop and gave him
notice he was violating the factory law
The man was ready with the excuse that
the inspector had given him a permit,
but the paper hadn't come yet, and the
gentlemen must excuse him if they did
not see it on his walls. We knew the
man lied.
The machine operators were on mems
trousers. Their task was to make up
the entire garment from the cutters
hand, and for which they got the mu-
nificent pay of seven cents for each pair
of trousers. How long did it takef
Well, they could not tell exactly, was
the answer. Half an hour if you were
an unusually quick and expert operator,
an hour if you were slow. They were
fortunate when they earned nine or ten
dollars week. And the work-that is,
steady work-only lasted four or five
months, October and November up to
few weeks of Christmas time in the
fall, and April, May and sometimes part
of March in the spring.
The "boss" said the hours were from
Z to Z. The others were silent. There
was no leaving the room for meals.
Each brought out his paper of sour rye
bread and stale meat, with perhaps
piece of scrawny chicken from the pig
market in Hester street as luxury, and
munched the food during fifteen min
utes' nooning at his table. Learners of
the trade got next to nothing for their
services.
At another shop of the same sort the
"boss" was out, and we found the en-
ployees more talkative. I hong their
number was Il young Russian woman
but twenty years old and working
twelve hours day. The law makes it
a crime to employ women under twenty
one more than ten hours daily. She was
"learning," and it was left to the "boss"
what pay he should give her.
The operators complained chiefly of
the lack of work in the off months, by
means of which the sweaters had the
men completely at their mercy. Though
semitwilight prevailed here all day, no
gas was lit in the shop, and the sore
eyes of several of the workmen told us
of the strain. The air was foul-no 400
cubic feet of air space for each person,
as prescribed. 1t seemed doubtful if
there were 200.
"Have you noticed there are no tailors
maker friend when we passed out of
one of these places. "They are all
operators or pressers or fnishers or but
tonhole makers, and each person has
just one thing to do on garment,
which is very simple and easily learned.
Formerly tailor needed considerable
skill, and his services were in great de-
sew a buttonhole or follow the cutters
directions on the sewing machine, and
the clothing maker is compelled to sub
NIT to every eXaction, because he knows
hundred others are ready to step into
his place. The only persons who receive
good wages in the New York clothing
trade are the cutters, who, if they are
tNua tu tn -Gxya
dollars week
was curious to find out what portion
of the total selling price of clothing
went to the men who made it. In a
Russian shop in Pell street, right in the
heart of Chinatown, where a boss and
six employees were engaged on sack
coats and overcoats, they gave me a
sample schedule of prices. was shown
coat that would retail perhaps at $12,
to be forced down to $40 or IS, if the
market was dull. The man who put
this heavy, substantial garment together
received IA cents, the baster 10, the fin
Usher 10, the ironer So and the button
hole maker IA total of 5l15 cents
somewhere near 8 per cent. of its mar
hCu Ndiuc' pLldlI WOuueT UldU ClOUnlIR
dealers can sell their stock on occasions
for one-half or one-third of the price ad-
vertised, and that at handsome profit.
1t can always be said of the industry
of the Russian Jew that he works him
self as hard as if not harder than any
sweaters which are set over him. Leave
the tenement house shops which covert
ly defy the law and enter one of the lit
tie living rooms one can step into from
every hallway in Essex and Suffolk
streets. Save the five deepest hours of
The night, there is no time in the twenty
four when you won't find the whole
family up and sewing for bread. We
unearthed family of three-two broth
ers, with the wife of one of them-who
inhabited an by 10 courtroom" and
toiled, the brothers at least, from to
midnight.
Winter and summer that room was at
furnace temperature with the roaring
hre they kept for heating irons. They
We're pressers Of "knee pants" at seven
| cents a dozen Eacb N, on by ,naane ,f