The San Francisco call., 1896-05-08
CHINESE CHEAP
LABOR OUTDONE,
White Girls Have Sup
planted Coolies in a
Factory.
AND GET LOWER WAGES
Mongolians Who Struck for Be-.
ter Pay Were at Once
Replaced.
VERY PECULIAR COMBINATION
The Establishment Is Now Running
Full Time Under Chinese
Control.

For once the Chinese are beaten at their
own game. Over thirty white girls are
working in blouse-waist factory for
wages that the coolies refused to accept.
The latter got independent and demanded
more money for their labor. The demand
was refused and the men walked out. 1t
was regular old-fashioned strike, but,
unlike the white men, the Chinese did not
stand around the factory. but at once dis
appeared in the depths of Chinatown.
Later they returned and removed their
machines, thus leaving The bosses without
the necessary implements.
1t was at this stage of the game that the
Chinese owners Of the factory rose superior
to the occasion. They purchased a small
stationary engine and about thirty ma
chimes, and soon had the whole outfit
running by steampower. While the
changes were being made they adver-
tised for girls to work the sewing
machines, and on opening day they had
over $50 applicants. The desired mum Der
were picked out and inside of an hour
thereafter blouse waists were being counted
up on the shelves by the dozen.
The trouble occurred in the Chinese
house of Hue Kai e. Co. 1t is one of the
wealthiest firms in Chinese circles. Its
place of business is on the southeast cor
ner of Clay and Davis streets. At one
time it was In the boot and shoe business.
but latterly there has been no profit in
the manufacture of those goods, SO it
turned its attention to blouse waists. A
white designer was engaged, and, as he is
also special policeman, he was all the
daaira A N -
material was bought at a low rate, and
soon Hue Kai d Co. were in active compe-
tition with the big New York firms.
1t waswhen work was being rushed and
there were many orders on hand that the
Chinese struck. Wong Yung. the superin-
tendent of the concern, did not hesitate
long. He told his fellow-countrymen TO
pack up and go. They did not believe him
| at first, but when he told them in plain
terms that he was going to get white girls,
who would do better work for less money,
they were at last convinced. Thus it was
| that the change came about.
| The factory on the corner of Clay and
| Davis streets presents an odd appearance
every day. In the little Office sits the
Chinese bookkeeper. At a table near by il
the white designer, while next to him ar,
two Chinese cutters. The designer make
the pattern and the Chinese cut out tn,
goo ds. while the white girls do the sewing
on the machines. Walking up and dowI
between the machines are Chinese wht
keep tally of the work done by each cir
and who also carry the completed blouse
to the packers. BY working hard 70
eleven hours day the girls can make al
the way from so to IS cents, and some o
them have been known to make 81 TO
three consecutive days, but the next da,
they had to .Iay off =" and rest.
In the rear of the blouse factory HUI
Kai e. Co. also run their shoe factory on
small scale. None but Chinese are EN-
ployed in it, so the entire floor shows
strange mingling of Mongolian men ant
Caucasian women.
The Chinese blousemakers have no
taken their defeat kindly, and wheneve
the girls are leaving the factory at tn
noon hour or quitting time they congre
gate on the sidewalk and make faces q
their supplanters. They also make re
marks to each other, but as it is in thei
own tongue nobody cares. When tn,
special policeman comes down the stair
they generally disperse. The factory il
now in full swing, and half the stylish
waists on sale in the various stores ar
turned out by the Caucasian Mongolia
combination employed by Hue Kai & Co