The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-07
gH|GAGOSNEAISB()PS
Starvation Wages, and Some
times None at All.
TEN DOLLARS A WEEK
More Than an Entire Work
ing Family Can Make.

Chicago, May "a Tribune special
from Washington says: A principal wit
ness before the Industrial commission
was Mrs. Florence Kelley. formerly chief
factory inspector OF Illinois. who gave
some interesting testimony as TO the
sweatshops in Chicago. She explained that
no child under IA years OF age is allowed
to work in any factory. shop. or mercan-
tile establishment. No educational test
is required The greater part Of the inspec-
ton was devoted TO sweatshops OF Chi
cago, where the sanitary conditions were
bad. Records OF the number employed n
the sweatshops shovel about 17,000 per-
sons. The inspection in Illinois Is devoted
to great extent 20 protecting the public
health by watching the sweatShops 70 de-
tect the presence Of contagion. The Ger
man and Swedish shops are clean. she
said. while the Jewish and Italian shops
are generally unclean and dangerous. She
said that Of the 10000 factory workers in
Inionis 15O.G0O are in Cook county. She
had found nine nat.onsIties represented
in the sweatshops. German AMI Russian
Jews. Bohemians and Polish predomi-
mated IN numbers, and each Of these ma
tionslities was in about equal proportions
She had never found native Americans
IN the sweatshoDs. though some OF this
class were engaged in manufacturing
clothisg in their own homes and were
difficult to locate These. she said, formed
the most dangerous class Of garment
workers from a sanitary point OF view
Practically all the clothing sold in Chi
cago, she said, is made in sweatshops
there. There was no other set OF people
who were so poor IN Chicago as the gar
ment workers. Women in the sweatshops
did not support themselves by their work
Some OF them were married women and
others widows, who received aid from
charitable societies.
They had prosecuted many cases under
the law which forbade childres working
in the sweatshors without a certificate
showing them to be IA years OF age. hut
children could get these certificates at any
age, so that today a thousand little girls
are working IN the sweatshops there. The
dream Of the tshoD worker was that
man, wife and four children might
make $40 a week the year round, but IT
was safe to say that among the Jewish
and italian workers none Of them ever Sc
cured so much pay. Children frequestly
work for six months without pay. with
a promise that they will at the end OF that
time get 81 a week and finally Sc or 81.
The employees Of the sweatshops work
about three months at a stretch. with an
equal amount Of idle time
The inspectors are forbidden TO inquire
into the wage question. but the witness.
from long residence among the sweat
shop workers, stated that she did cot
know one woman who did garment work
home who could support herself 1t IS
a hard matter to get accurate state
ments Of the average wages paid to
sweatshop workers, she said on account
az their not being sufficiently intelligent
TO give correct estimates. They are not
able to tell the time. and stop work only
when It IS too dark TO contisue
Mrs. Kelley was sure that contagious
disease are spread by the prevalence Of
the swaatshop system. In one instance
she found A woman working on an over
coat in the same room where Z person
was dying OF smallpox The witness con
demned the system and thought It ought
II he abolished. The persons who are
compelled to depend upon ths garment
trade for A living are not able to send
their children 10 school until they are a
years of age.
An ordinary family, she said all OF the
members OF which are employed making
garments, cannot earn 80 per week. The
earnest workers are employed only
about seven or eight months IN the year.
During the period when they are not en-
ployed they are dependent upon charity.
The swes tshop law OF Illinois IS the
worst Of all the states" sad the witness-
An effort has been made for the last ten
years 70 orgas.ze the garment workers IN
Chicago but thus far these efforts have
been unavailnE. Pubic opinion has been
with the garment workers 20 the extent
that thousands OF dollars were subscribed
70 support the workers in one OF their
strikes The manufacturers are. bow
ever. against the movement and have
waCef n successful war IN opposition 20
r.. There ara - personal safsty IA KS ~
the state Until the last session ot the
legislature there was a compulsory Ere
escape law. but this law was repealed last
winter. the reason given being that It was
passed purely for the benefit q the ssna-
tor who introduced the bin"
The witness thought that re use ~
soot-power machinery should - abolish
a IS a rneusce 20 health. TIE children
who ara employed lr swsatsheps. she
sai5. are generally n poor physical con-
d.dos. TIE witness approved TIE Su,zsr
Dill in congress providing that the CLOTH
ing trade r. placed under the Jurisdiction
% the treasury department. ths sane IS
tha cigar trade
Mrs Kelley irs7rsef re New York tac-
tory law and said saa h7psd . tee ere
6sr 7ren chud-eu would r. KEEP 81
schools ard away frc7, tra fs--criss uHt-i
trey are 3 years ot axe. she also believed
in The e.zht-1og- lsw
Sc ta7u-at the p.gt.3c schools of CO.
cs-o were des-e-t in s1nhers. ard sa11
she had known children IN stores - -
kept a. xotk fren 5 p n uuta T--aiEht-
Floods in Wv Brunswick
Fredericton. y p Nsr E-The yzts-
e. rae s. john rtrar ard its NAM trs5u-
tz~fes &C. hiE1e- tran - any tine s-uce
fY,e a-c5s - tf- TIE Tr5tEue valley
railroad sSsa rte5 - res- Fe-rE- A.
-. watson mai Garner vas Drowned
yesterday Salt1 - 5ere t1e 1E 1is