The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-20
DESTITUTION IN PATERSON.
az Es11xATE THAr oSE-oUARrEB OF
IRIS WORKERS ARE IDLE

|
The city OF Paterson. n J., IL Just now under
going the most severe experience II has beer
called on to undergo since the panic times o.
1879 There are to-day more en- and won On
out Of work. and there is more distress and
destItution there, than there have been at ans
time since that rear. Some factories are shut
down. aud the greater number OF the mills
and factories that are still open are only run.
ming on half time or with half and In some In
stances only one-duarter, OF the usual force Of
employees One concern alone has laid on
more than 1.200 men. women. and girls.
Another concern whose ssmi-monthlT pay roll
In good times foots up 49,. 600 paid out on the
last pay day less than $4,000 The cause Of
all this 10 said By her citizens to be the agita-
tion OF the tariff question.
While the times are not yet as bad as they
| we're in 1873. and there are not yet so many
people out OF employment as there were
| then the near future does not offer any en-
couragement, and II things keep on as they
are going now very many PEOPLE believe that
| the distress OF 1873 will be exceeded.
The city is essentially q manufacturing city.
| II IL the home Of the silk industry OF the state
It has large iron works. machine shops and
| two large locomotive works 1t has popula-
| ton OF about 100000 and not less than two
thirds 81 all It's people derive their living solely
from these manufacturing Industries.
The extremes OF the estimates Of the persons
| who are out OF Employment which were made
| yesterday for The SuS we're 10000 and 5000.
There are at all times a very large number oil
| persons out OF employment. These estimates
| are OF the number out OF employment In OK
cess Of the usual number. TheilnrGer number
Is the estimate Of the head OF one OF the largest
silk mlIls In tho city In called IL u conserya-
tive estimate: His NIL j. now runninR vii, Win
| Legislation is what causes the reduction.
The other extreme Is the estimate OF one OF
.hs come SaSo charge ofthe depart
are Inclined to resent what they call the inter-
tho Sti 2, siei c U they are
anxious lest there should be an overestimate
Ys7s the Sssn He @ '0 took entire
charge OF the relief work. and city money was
While. reliable estimates OF the number Of
cases Of distress are hard to get. suS re-
R most be sad is startling the Week
IL pay day OF Poormaster Kelly. Persons who
have been receiving g pittance from the city
gether. come to the Poor master's. once every
Tuesday. and receive checks for amounts
The number receiving this aid had yester-
day reached more than 500. and very many in
The Poormasters office 10 in the real. OF Pc;
lice HsadquaTters ,poorm9stber Kelly ma isd
eSecis already made out for the persons who
received aid last week. and he had besides a
list Of persons who were to receive their first
The room was crowded. A glance was sum-
cient to show that the people were not OF the
to poormasters. for aid. There were as many
men in 1t as there were women and children.
dressed. Some OF them were well dressed.
They had Intelligent faces They we're clean
I'M mem and in the whole lot there did not ap-
pear to be more than dozen who could be put
down as chronic 6egEatSs The reporter ,t en-
Seiyed aid, he had, worked in Bar6our's dq1
sH%s S az Rs& rs
The com b!ned earnings Of the family was
sufficient to keep them, but it was not possible
f tSs sia
whom they had dealt they were enabled to live
SE Thsn tns 'S Ssa fs' the Ses
The roorm aster then aided Thorn TO the extent
Another man had family of FIVE. and he de-
himself. but he couldn't see his children suffer
Week H. stiIl another had only himself and his
wife to SUPPORT She hsd yotksf as well as he
time and had nothing to fall pack on.
The greater number OF the women In the
sroyd were a., e. we'll drsf rsr and as Incgens
who attracted considerable attention. She
looked more IKE visitor than an applicant
she had three children at home. and he per-
sonslly knew that there wasn't an ounce OF
before had given out. This woman hurried
check She got it cashed and visited grocery.
Her sole purchase was bread
Thess was then s quite crowd
left who .. had received no AID; They we're In
ia fAA VAf hAV m al n hA m
Ing; Some OF them came only TO make appli-
They alsowere told to come again In the morn
ing and their names would be taken for inyes-
tiRation. Commissioner Ryan had watched |
gave a dollar from his own pocket TO one wo- |
man whom he know and beside whom he used |
- The hen members sol Of the Relief Committee with
whom the reporter talked said that the num-
ask for public assistance was much greater |
than the number who did ask. clergyman |
This is the skim Of the army OF distress.
The volume Of the army can only be known |
by personal visits to the homes OF the wage
Here are few of the statistics that could be
obtained: The Barbour thread mill and fax
ming ,s9 part art time. about f2oO hands out. The
DSlrhhin ute mill WORK ok RIaet'isaIly sstopPed
a very much reduced force. Rogers Locomo-
tive Works running with reduced force; Cook
factory and machine shops whore silk mill
machinery IL made, about the same.
In the business OF manufacturing silk there
are employed In the nelghborhOOd Of 10000
hands. There are q great many mills. ana II
Is not poss iblo to give list of them, with the
in each There Is probably not a
formed man on matters pertaining to
that business than William strange OF the
William Strange Company. That company IL
among the largest employers, THE SUN re-
porter saw Mr. Strange at his home in Broad.
10 question as to the number OF men out OF
work:
Most OF the mills are working on half time
and some OF them on quarter time great
many Of them are working not 10 manufacture
goods wanted, hut o keep their hands together.
Anyhody can readily understand that II is i'm
possible 70 make any money running In this
fashion, Tor the expenses 81 running the mill
are lust as great with half force and the pro-
duction Is lust one-half as much ! know
that in ~ the rolling mills and In the
FAX mills the same condition Of affairs
estimate 70 say that 25 per cent OF tho wage
earners who have regular smploym emit In good
times are now without work and a large per
cent. Of them are without the means 70 buy
ruin because OF the tariff a gitatiOn and theun- |