New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-31
no DEARTH o" iSWEAT-SHOPS.
THOUSANDS OF THEM IN THE EAST SIDE
DISTRICTS.
THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING
THEN AND THEIR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF
EMPLOYEES ~ THE BIG DRYGOODS

THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING
THEN AND THEIR METHODS CONDITION OF
EMPLOYEES IL TIE ZIG DRYGooDs
HOUSES ALSO INQUIRED INTO.
The Assembly committee Investigating the
sweating system and the condition OF women
employed in factories and shops met for the
third time yesterday in Part il OF the superior
Court The full committee WAS present. com
prising MIR. Reinhard, the chairman Harvey
r. Andrews. Seth Wilkes, Charles Steinberg
and Jacob Zimmerman. There Were many women
in attendance. from various organizations Tor the
Improvement of the condition n working girls
Samuel Gompcrs ex-president of the Fedora
ton of Labor. was also present.
The first witness called Edmund T.
Hatch a member of the firm of Lord 1ayIor'
He said there were no girls under fourteen
years old employed in the firms Grand anu
Chrystie ST. store but that there were three
fourteen years old earning 81 % ana ," Il "e'N'
The firm. he said. employed seventy Eight girls
of twenty-one years and under, Working MY -
nine hours a week--nine hours day, except
on Saturday, when they work twelve houiS'
The girls are allowed forty minutes for lunch
con.
Mr.. Hatch said that it was mistake TO think
had ample time to rest, that chairs ana STOOLS
were provided. and that the girls understood
that they might sit down when not DuSE'
When asked about fines he said they We're h"'es-
sa1y for certain faults. Thce" fines. ho SAD Went
To the Beneficial Association Of the einpoy
They averaged a cent a week for cach Eiri. or
reasonable excuses fines were remltteu Inc dN-
erage age of women employed in the BROADWAY
store. il appeared. was tWenty-sN years anu inc
average salary so 40 week.
William r. Petit. OF r. II. Macy Co.. Sald
that he was manager for the firm, ana ma thele
were plenty Of seats and benches, ana thal lHe
girls and women at liberty II 81 down WIlyli
no; busy The firm. he said, employed 900 girls
between fourteen and twenty-one years o.d. re
promised TO furnish. at the next nearing. th'
scale OF wages Of these girls. He SAID that there
was a system Of fines for tariiness, making wrong
addresses and breakagc. The fines wen, mo ule
Employees Benefit Fund The lowest wage pad
to a male emplOye was $500 year.
The next witness Charles +. Ke!cherS'
general secretary of the Mutual Garment Makers.
who said that there We're between 'ogV ana o'Vlo
sweat-shops in the city between Houston-st
and East Broadway and the Bowery. He said
that while the factory inspectors were DONG al
in their power to carry ont the factory law li'
eighteen inspectors were powerless 10 enforce the
law properly. There were now only eighteen IN
spectOrs he said. for the entire state III an
branches OF business. Samuel GompeTs TESTIFIED
that in the district between HOuston-st.. East
Broadway and the Bowery there were hundreds
Of sYeat-ehopS where men, women ana cnlldrcn
worked lived slept and ate in the same rooms.
William F. Moore. with Ridley Il Sons, in Grand
ST testified that there were plenty OF chalrs ana
hoyes for the employees to sit on. lie sara mat
there was one seat for every three persons. The
committee will meet again next Saturday.