The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-29
FACTORY HANDS
ARE WELL PAID
UNDERWEAR MAKERS AT WILKES
BARRE AND THEIR OCCUPATION.
No Pity Is Necessary for the Girls and
Figure in Miller a Ehoads' Inventory
saie-Their Wages, Health and Spirits Are
Quite Above Par.

Huite ABOVE Tar.
was on tie second floor at
Miller & Rhodes' unit in a
great surging throng OF women en-
deavorng to secure some OF the many
bargains IN underwear given to the
buying public az this great inventory sale.
u can't bring my conscience into sufficient
Submission 10 permit me to buy goods
Ike these. low as they are. for just think
what a, meagre pittance the women who
make tnem must receive, and then CO1-
template their surroundings: my heart
hleeds 10 think Of them" said a voice
near by, emanating from n little woman
IN black who evidently believed what she
said, and for whose benefit and thousands
OF others as preludiced. the writer wishes
10 tell OF trip 10 the big underwear
factories at Wilkcsbarre and PittstOn,
Pennsylvania from whence all these gar
ments have been CLEANED.
That there are sweat-shOps In existence,
that there are many women and children
orudging their lives out TO earn the tiny
stipend that reaches them through a mid
ile-man, is an true. but there IS not the
shadow Of this element i'm the great airy
wfil-iighied, scrupuously clean Pennsyl-
Nania buildings just quoted. situated in
the neart OF the town, the Wilkesbarre
factory is the Mecca toward which ala
the girls and women Of the country rolud
look forward As soon as they are OF a
suitable age 10 obtain such employment
When once the visitor has entered the
portals IL Is very easy TO understand why
this work possesses 50 trOng an attrac-
ton. Cloanly. dainty, and winning eX-
ceilent compensation. what could be more
desirable than such labor from : until
j. i'm the morning. and l until g in the
afternoon. whole hour for rest a noon
and "a closing ar Oh Saturdays
Put if this is true" questions some
body. how can the garments be sold 50
chcaply2' Come with the visitor through
the various rooms and the last douhtng
Interrogation will be- finally and forever
dispelled. "Quartity" IT, the magic pass
word ln the cutting room on long tables
may be seen cloth marked for the cutter 8
knife. There is no waste, the penclled
lines utilize every inch Of space. and
whenever the knife goes through, seventy
two thicknesses OF cloth have been cut
30 the required pattern \ single man Gao
cut out fifty lozer night-gOwns day. or
$50 dozen corset covers. 20 dozen draw
crs. l20 dozen chemises. or an equal num-
Der OF skirts. And such a system as gov
erus it all. 4 duplicate OF the cutting
check is sent 10 the trimming department
and rarely ever is there the slightest deyi-
alton in form or high class workman
ship and never is there so much as an
inch of embroidery that cannot be ac-
cOunod for.
The cutters are the only men save the
machnists. packers and office force seen
about the place. and yet there are ore
thousand employees working in the facto-
rlcf. on the second floor the work IS
fying magicaNv 10 completion Here SIT
the girls. CHEEKY. hright-cyei young crea-
lures, their attractive appearance 90 touch
with the character Of the goods they
are sewing upon The power for the ma
chimes is furnished hr am engine and boiler
in "a detached building so that accident
10 them has no power 20 luiure the nu-
man workers above. ANY one who h1 8
an idea that llanched slaves OF The needle
bend over long seams or tireSome lines
oil tucking ought 90 peep In on the rooms
where these girls by the slightest pros
sure of the foot Accelerate or diminish
the sneod M which they are stitching.
There is no active pedaline such rs Sc" =
ine machine ion the home requires, AMI
the grand solution OF the mystery is no
one operator turns out sihsic arm I.
from start TO finish When the OUTSIDER
hears of so much dozen being paiu
for garments. De or she naturally con-
cludes that some one individual mas 10
toll over every part Of gown or skirt from
seams TO button holes. hut that is not the
way things are managed In TINS Brea .
lrsflimg centre of activity. one Glli
seams. another fells. another finishes col
lars or facings another makes yokes ana
SO on. each becoming so expert lh h'i
special line that the work is not only done
almost mechanically but II j. ready seen
how much can be- accomplished, mus Sc
curing 90 greater rate of pay.
No one woman codl 40 We'll every part
OF "a garment. hut with experts on the
component parts the result j. the very
embodiment of accuracy while the all
important subject 81 wages reaches an
average ~ seven 10 ten dollars % week.
which everyone must admit has no SOUND
of starvation in f. In many ~ the miners
homes adjacent % the town these girls are
the solo support ~ the family. again many
of them are able 20 lay by what they
earn. there being to-day IN this very lac