The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-18
TILE SWEAT SHOP EVIL
Report Of New York's State Fac
s;;,s tory Inspector.
CONGRESS CAN soLvETHE PROBLEM
Inspector OLeary Calls Attention to the
. Violations Of Law In Families, Against
/ Which There 10 No Law-How Roady
! Made Clothing Is Manufactured.


: Violations of Law In Families, Against
Which There 10 No Law-How Ready
! Made Clothing Is Manufactured.
ALBANY, Jan. 18-"Congress can to
very large degree solve the problem Of alb.
clifton of the sweating system by passing
more stringent emigration laws and by a
tax that would force the workers out Of
the tenements into shop buildings, whore
state legislation can reach them"
That Is the most important paragraph
ip the eleventh annual report of Now
York State Factory Inspector O'Leary,
and he alleges that the greatest evil labor
is bored with is no more prevalent in New
York city than 1t is in Buffalo, Rochester.
Syracuse, Philadelphia, Boston. Chicago,
Ban Francisco, Hartford, Newark st. Paul,
St. Louis and every other large center of
population, and especially Ia cities Or To-
Salitiss where the manufacture Of cloth
ing Is carried on to any extent In his
sport Inspector o Leary says:
"With knee pants bringing from fifty
to .seventy-f five cents per dozen, vests from
81 to 90 per dozen, trousers from twelve
and half to seventy-fve cents per pair,
and coats from thirty-bwo CENTS to Sl.5O
each, with a percentage of these prices
for the boss sweaters and another reduc-
tion off for cost Of oarting-whioh the
workman Is obliged to pay--we cannot ex-
psot to find nythins but destitution, suf-
ksr1ng, intellectual and moral depression
exciting amongst the unfortunate victims
W this perniolous system.
an New York city alone we have about
400 wholesale clothing manufacturers or
tobbers, and nearly all Of these utilize this
kind Of labor There are nearly l50 whole.
sale cloak houses in the same city, and
emily few Of them have suitable shops
and workrooms Of their own in which to
do the work.
Nearly all ready made clothing is now
made up in places Of this kind. The con.
tractors who operate fairly good shops as
-uls do not complete the garments, but
parcel opt ths minor parts TO sub-contrao-
tors on families who do the work In tene-
tnent Or dwelling houses at prices which,
after long hours of toll will produce only
few cents. The condition of the clothing
trade In New York is worse today than
eSer before We find men going to the
employers and Offering to work two or
three hours extra If only given a chance to
. work, thus voluntarily subjecting them
selves to condition Of slavery, and right
here Is where all the evils Of the sweating
system come In, for all complaints are
based upon the amount of wages earned,
and the laws of the state prescribe no REM
edy which can be applied at this point.
"The power Of the officers Of the bureau
Is limited and their duties prescribed by
law. The department can abate the evil
II overorowding factory work rooms, but
1t cannot prevent the overcrowding Of
rooms In tenements which are used as
work roems by members Of the family.
"The officers Of the department can
force the child under IA years Of age and
the illiterate child out of the workshop or
factory but are powerless to molest them
when they are found employed in their
own home circle The department can
cause the reduction Of excessive hours of
lAbor required of women under 81 and
youths under IS years Of age, when ON.
bloyed in shops, but 1t cannot prevent
such long hours of tolls being imposed on
persons Of the same ago when employed
II homap