Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-03-09
EVILS OF SN' EATSH0PS
What Inspector 0'Leary Saw In Some
of Them.
WORST IN NEW YORK CITY.
SOund Clothing Being Made In Tene-
ment Rooms Where Children Were
III with Contagious Diseases.
Scores BROOKLYN suburbs.

Washington, March 9. Mr.. DAME
| p'Leary, chief factory inspector for tn
state of New York, appeared before tht
Industrial commission and gave num-
Der of interesting details concerning tht
sweating system in vogue in some OF
| the cities Of that state.
| He said the system was especial!
followed in New York city and Brook
Ign, but that there was more or less OF
1t in Rochester, Utica and Syracuse ano
other like cities. In cities of the latter
class. however, the conG tons were bet
ter than in the former. as were the
prices also. The operative received an
average of say IS cents for sack coats
those towns. while in Brooklyn and
New York the prices run from 80 to 80
cents.
Even at these prices the people SEEM
ID to feel that they enjoyed many COM
forts in comparison with what they
had experienced i'm their European
ZONES. He dwelt at some length upon
he conditions under which the sweat
ng work was done in tenements saying
hat in some of the suburbs of Brook
YIN, such as Brownsville and Dutch
.ity the conditions We're filthy beyond
description.
II went into this work" said Mr.
)Leary. full of sym pathy for the peo-
pie. but it has all passed away. Their
condition is due entirely to their own
habits and characters. They are filthy
md dishonest and have no ambition to
improve the situation"
He added that the women We're less
cleanly than the men. Mr.. O'Leary also
said that many of the houses were full
of vermin and that one of the great
difficulties was to free clothing taken
from these establishments from this
vermin. OF Brownsville he said he
thought there was no more filthy spot
in the world not only in the tenements
themselves. but in the streets and in the
of the houses.
ut is one of the worst pest holes on
earth" was his language.
Disease Stricken Shops.
He also spoke of the sanitary condi-
tons about the sweatshop tenements
saying that the system was positively
detrimental to the public health. His
deputy inspectors had often found
in process of manufacture in
rooms in which there We're children
down with such contagious diseases as
measles, etc.
Nearly all the people engaged in this
work were foreigners. not as many as
Der cent being Americans. The worst
Offenders were the Poles Italians and
Jews. Germans very seldom offended
Except in the employment of child labor.
They We're. as a rule, clearly and dis
,Osed to observe sanitary regula tons.
Mr.. O'Leary said that his men had
ound army clothing being made in the
weatslrops, and in those cases the
prices We're: For soldiers cape over
oats, SO cents; for vests, from II to IA
ents; for infantry trousers from % to
6 cents. and for cavalry trousers, from
s to IS cents
The contractors had been required to
gree to do their work on their govern
nent contracts on their own premises.
tut there was no written guarantee.
hereafter it was understood that this
uarantee was to be required
MIR. OLeary expressed the opinion
hat immigration ought to be restricted
o persons who were self supporting
nd had shown themselves to be so in
heir own country.