Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06
Testimony Given Before the Indus
trial Commission.
UNIONS CONTROLLED BY WOMEN
Best Suits of Clothes Made in
Sweatshops in New York.
INTERESTING STATEMENTS

The industrial commission met this morn
| ing in the Bliss building, opposite the Cap
| itol. and heard Mr.. Henry White of New
] York, secretary of the Garment Workers
Association of America, testify in regard to
| the conditions met by organized labor in
| the clothing trade of this country. Mr..
White is young man, who has himself
been actively engaged as a worker in the
garment trade.
The National Association of Garment
Workers of America was formed in 1891,
and now has 145 subordinate lodges, with
| 10000 members, one-fourth of whom are
women. That association has more women
| in its membership than any other labor
union in America. The witness said the
women conduct very successful labor
Unions. The association embraces the
various branches in the clothing industry,
| the women being very largely engaged in
the making of overalls.
Effect of the Strikes.
Mr.. White recounted the strikes that had
taken place in New York among the gar
ment workers previous to the financial de-
preston that began in 1893 and said that
they resulted in great deal of improve
ment in the condition of the workers. which
was not only satisfactory to the workers
but to the manufacturers themselves, as 1t
raised the standard of labor. Better con-
ditions prevailed until the financial depreS-
sion came on, when the workers interest
in their unions lessened. At present
he thought New York had the best factory
law of any state in the Union. 1t had been
| modelled after the Massachusetts law,
and during the last session of the legis-
ature in New York had been improved
upon to make II superior to the Massachu-
sets law.
Petty SubcOntractors.
The difficulty of the system of doing work
in making clothing in tenements is that it
is not possible to maintain in them that
standard that is found in factory. He
described the system of subcontracting for
clothing as carried on in New York as an
Internal cooperative system by which the
subcontractor divided his misery with MS
workmen. These subcontractors are really
not contractors in the sense that that word
is usually understood. They have no plant
They are simply petty bosses, whose small
amount Of machinery is bought on the in
stalment plan. The SubcOnuactors are
ground down in the prices they receive, and
in turn they have to get the work done
cheaper They are as much to be pitied as
are the woTkmen under them. They do not
know of anything outside their own little
world, and are not able to get out of it be-
cause of their poverty.
Best Clothing Made in Sweatshops.
THE best class of custom made clothing"
sweating conditions. A suit of clothes 20
cost the wearer 80 will be sent to one of
these sweating shops from the handsome
store on 9TH avenue, and a man, wife and
child will work on it for a week, fourteen
or sixteen hours day, and will get 81 for
it, The best stores on 18th avenue send their
goods to these sweating shops. Many Of
them have small shops in the rear of their
stores, where they say their work done,
but really very small part of it is done
there.'
He said some of these tailors had done
their work in their shops, but gradually
the cheaper prices attract them to sweat
shops. The finest made custom clothing in
New York is more apt to be made in the
sweatShops than are the cheaper grades
which can frequently be made in immense
quantities in factories cheaper than by put
ting them out.
A Union Label.
The garment cutters had adopted a union
label, and some people were insisting
having it on their clothing. A number of
clergymen were assisting them by demand
ing the label. There was a general in
crease of the tendency the part Of the
public to demand these labels as a guaran-
tee that their clothing be made under favor
able conditions. Those who understood the
miseries of the sweating system were apt
to demand the labels. In Boston custom
made clothing not apt to be made
| under these deplorable conditions. In Wash
ington there was not the danger of having
custon-made clothing made under these
bad conditions. although some of it is put
out of the city. The custom-made clothing
made by union men has d label, which can
be demanded by customers in this city. and
some clothiers here have it on all their
goods.
Standard Oil Witnesses.
In addition to witnesses to come before
the industrial commission during the pres
ent month, announced in The Star it
has been arranged to have Mr.. John d.
Rockefeller and Mr. VIM. T. Wardwell the
latter treasurer of the Standard Oil Com
pany, give their testimony on a date not
yet decided upon.