The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-14

; LAYING the stones. and It seemed 20 NE that
! they diG it in 4 most leisure,y way.
| Each mason had 4 milking stool to ST
/ on as he worked. and 1 Photographed one
III the act.
He vas pleased 10 have his picture taken
! and I fell into conversation with him.
He told me that his wages We're ) cents
an hour and that he usually made 50 cents
for his day of ten hours.
| In coming back on the street car I asked
the conductor what he was paid and found
that he got the same "a the maSOn-J cents
! but that his day was twelve hours in
stead of ten.
Car employees who have been long with
the company sometimes receive as much as
90 cents and 81 cents a day. but there are
very few who reach as high as 81 for a day
OF twelve hours.
The normal Swiss working day is eleven
hours and wages range from >, cents up
| ward.
There are many hands in the silk fac
tories who do not get more than this and
! some who get less.
The wages are low in the embroidery mills
and also in those weaving cotton. although
IN the latter mucn o! the work IS done by
| piece. ard skilled employees make what ara
here considered fair wages.
And still the wOTkingmen in Switzerland
have their ORGANIZATIONS.
There are workingmen'S societies nearly
! everywhere.
The Government has passed factory laws.
and 4 few Years ago it was found that
! there were 500 factories under these laws;
they employed 2t'n@0 men.
Many of the cantOns have their OWE labor
| regulations In some there are labor bu-
! reaus and technical schools. ,
The wOrkinsmen combine together TO
! further their own interests. and they have
succeeded in getting legislation by appeal
| ing to the Swiss Congress.
I "A II Is now the railroad C0mplri1S ire
! liable to damages II men are seriously hurt
while in their employ.
II 4 man is injured in a factory The
{ owner OF the factory can be made ia pay a
much as six times the amount Of his yearly
earnings. or a maximum Of $40,
Some Of the saddest scenes here are the
women at work.
WOMEN PERFORM ALL
KINDS OF LABOR.
T have seen many q gray-haireI dame
with the sweat streaming down her wrin-
kles.
You see girls pitching and raking hay and
spad:ug and hoeing in the fields.
You see them going over the roads with
great loads on their backs. and in the Alps
YOU may meet them toiling along with bas-
kets full of manure strapped to them.
The manure comes from the barns and is
being carried up to be spread over the pas
lures on the sides Of the hills.
I have seen women pushing carts. har-
messed up With dogs, and l frequently see
them saving wood in the streets.
Another sight of a more modern type is a
| Swiss girl riding an American moving ma
chine. pulled by two cows. for. indeed. COWS
are also worked. and for labor there is no
distinction of sex. either bovine or human.
The cows are worked in most parts of
Switzerland.
They are sometimes harnessed up with
oxen. and I frequently see 2 cow and a
horse pulling along side by side.
Returning TO the women of Switzerland.
they are used very largely as clerks in Gne
stores.
Some have Government offices and YOU
find them acting as cashiers in the cafes
and restaurants
They are as good in n business way as
| their French sisters. and. like the French
women. are among the thriftiest OF their
! sex.
The most Of the marketing Of Switzerland
is done by the women.
| In Bern the markets are in the streets.
, The women bring in their vegetables.
their butter and cheese and other wares
and peddle them out from stands on the
sidewalk.
In Basel they push their goods into town
in little wagons like baby carriages.
| In Bern you frequently see a dog cart
going from door to door, the women buck
sters now pulling. with the dogs and now
stopping to reddle mill or vegetables to the
houses.
It Is with these dogs that they bring their
wares in from the country. the dog taking
! the part of the horse.
: SWISS HOUSEWIFE DOE
! HER OWN BUYING.
The purchasers in the markets are also
women.
{ Every Swiss housewife does her own buy