The evening times., 1896-02-11
patches and the thread and keep the wo::en
in work"
THE FoREwoMEN's DUTIES i.

THE FOREWOMENS DUTIES.
II haven't observed them giving out any
patches. The girls all 20 up and get their
own patches when the man brings them
up, aid they call ont for work whenever
they heed IL. The forewomen were not help
ins me at all yestcr,.ay. and only got out
fourteen bags"
.weiI, they ought to mark all your bags
until you learn the work. I'll go and send
one to you and she II help you today. Any
thing that we can do for you, Miss Hunter.
we will"
As he moved away the girls all had some
thing to say about their bags. was shown
work on all sides that was quite as bad
as the bag l had complained OF. One girl
said. as She held up wreck:
Il tried 10 get this condemned yesterday,
and they wouldn 'tdoit. Theysaideverything
had to be nicnded because the work wis
scarce"
"One woman got a lot Of bags condemned
yesterday" said another.
Yes. and VINO was IL? Mr.. McFariane
keeps company with her. And look at her
averages She always has the most bags
Of anyone. When she sent those bags hack
/ tried to get mine condemned, and Mr..
McFarlane Just laughed: at me-"
At that moment Miss Desmond eziTe
over To- my machine with u little stool
ana sat down beside me. She stayed with
me the greater pare OF the day and marked
with chalk every place that was to be
patched and guided and instructed me.
She even began to rip the bpttOms off for
me and get the old bags ready, but I
stopped her, as I wanted To- see what
could du myself. / worked at concert
pitch all day. But while worked l talked
To her a little.
Am | particularly awkward, Miss Des-
10 Ond?''
Why, no, Miss Hunter. think you
are particularly clever with your hands.
You handle the work like an expert"
WORK TOO WELL DONE.
But why is it 1 can't turn the work
off faster?''
II think you mend the bags too well.
YoT know the darnCrs take these bags
after you and Ctmplete them, and yuu
have to learn what to leave. And ID,
You try To do it too neatly
Bat doesn't this riecswork put n pre-
MUM on bad work? Doesn't il encourage
the girls not to do their work 30 well:''
We'll. they have to de- IL right. or they
will get IL back. and after seventy-fivc bags
have beenreturned To them inside of a month
they lose their place"
DO they get many bags back?''
Yes, some of them get IA big number.
One woman Just came within the number
last month
Don't you think the piecework is too
hard?"
Well. should like to see the girls all on
q salary. think they would all like IL bet
ter: but you know. Miss Hunter. there are
very few of them who would work cOnscfen-
riously. They loaf a great deal when they
are on n salary. and don't try TO do what
they can"
what Is a good days work.
Well. | would have To- say think be
tween sixty and sixty-five bags a day
But that is about what they do on piece
work when they are working as hard us
they can drive"
oh, no: some OF them run up into the
eighties ana one girl recently got above
ninety
But these are the two or three exccp-
tiunai ones. Many of them doa't reach
sixty"
SIT AROUND AND READ.
IF they can't do sixty bags this work is
not suitable for them said she. II
have worked ON the bags myself. and know
all about it, When the girls used 10 get Il
salary here for doing Il given number OF
bags, they used to sit and read over their
work, many of them. OF course. would
ike to see the girls get a salary and no, have
to work so hard. But it is natural for
Mai. Tyler to want them To do a good days
work, and not draw money Tor DONG notl-
ing"
sir. Cullen came along at the moment,
aud stopped in front of my machine to urge
me along.
What do you think is good days work.
Mr.. Culien?''
IAN you can do
But how many bags ought one TO turn
out on an average
II don't know: / have no opinion, He
smiled n sort of ycu-don't-catch-ne smile
But YOU are superintendent, aren't YOU:
4 nd in the words of a great man, what a re
We here for?
well. If you want my opinion, think
scventy-five."
.'Oh. come now,'' laughed. But he
walked away. Miss Desmond said:
You can't get any satisfaction out of Il
man; that's the way they always talk. They
never handled the bags
At noon | inquired diligently among the
girls what would be regarded by them as
4 good days work. The general opinion
was that fifty bags would be a heavy
DAYS work. prov vded they We're alcwed
to meud them right ard not put Gu Il CON
slant strain. Some OF the girls cculddO mere
il the work ran well aud still not have to
labor too hard. But most OF them thought
there should be two grades CT wages. for
some of the girls are not as quick and cS-
pert as others.
Some Thought that the salaries ought to
he $40 and S45 a month, and others would
be satisfied with S3J and $40. The cry
of all the women WIS for j salary, and
the piece-work method seemed To be the
betc noir Of every woman in the place.
Piccework. they said was killing them
and taking every bit OF strength they bad
10 get a living salary. The more they did
in the effort to get u triflc more money
the more was expected OF them, until every
woman in the place had become reduced
to a speeding machine. all nerve and muscle.
They hadn't time to live: all their leisure
was CONSUMED in rccuperatinn for the days
toll
This article Will be concluded In
Evening Times.