The Portland daily press., 1899-03-09
New York Sweat Shops Described
BY An Inspector.
SAYslOPERATIvEs ARE BLAME
FOR CONDITION,
They Are Filthy and Dishonest and
Have No Ambition To Improve
Their Observation-Disclosures One
Place as One Of Worst Pest Holes on
Earth.

faftm.
Washington, March s-Mr. Daniel
Cleary, chief factory inspector for the
state Of New York. was before tho Indns-
trial commission today and gsve interest
ing details CONCERNING the sweating system
in vogue In some Of the cities Of the
state. He said the system was especially
followed In New York city and Brooklyn
but that there was more or less of IL In
Rochester, Utica and Syracuse and 10
other like cities. In cities of the latter
class, however, the conditions were better
than in the former a. were the prices al
SO. The operative received an average OF
10 cents for sack coats In those towns
while in Brooklyn and New York, the
prices ran from 3, to 80 cents. Even Cat
these prices. the people seemed to feel
that they enjoyed many comforts In com
parison with what they had experienced
in their European homes. He dwelt At
some length upon the conditions under
which the sweating work was done in
renements saying that in some Of the
suburbs of Hrook lyn. such as Brownsville
and Dutchtown, and on the east side In
New York city, the conditions were filthy
beyond description.
II went into this work." said MIR.
O'Leary, full Of sympathy for the
people, but 1t has all passed away. Their
condition Ia due entirely to their own
habits ana characters. They are filthy and
dishonest and have no ambition to i'm
prove their situation" +.
Ia AH.A hat hn
cleanly than tho men. MIR. O'Leary also
said that many of the houses were full OF
vermin and that one Of the great diff.
culties was to free clothing taken from
these establishments from this vermin.
or 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 surroundings Of the
houses.
at 10 one OF the worst rest holes on
EARTH" was his language. He also spoke
Of the sanitary conditions about the sweNt
shop tenements. saying that the system
was positively detrimental to the public
health. His deputy inspectors had often
found clothing in process OF plAnufacture
in rooms In which there were children
with such contagious diseases as diph-
iberia. measles. etc. Nearly all the people
engaged in this work were Foreigners, not
as many as per cent being Americans.
Ihe worst onen0ere were tne fOlos,
Italians and Jews Germans very seldom
offended except In the employment Of
child labor; they were as rule cleanly
and disposed to observe sanitary reguls-
tions.
MIR. Leary said that his men had
found army clothing being made In sweat
shops and in those cases the prices were:
For soldiers cane overcoats. 93 cents; for
vests from ii to IA cents; for infantry
TROUSERS from 90 to 26 cents and for
cavalry trousers from 26 to 35 cents.
The contractors had been required to
agree to do their work on government
contracts on their own premises, but
here was no written guaranteed Here
after it WAS understood that this guaran-
tee was to be required.
Mr.. O'Leary expressed the opinion that
Immigration ought to be restricted to per-
SONS who were self.supportipg and mad
shown themselves to be In their own
country.