Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-07
Laws Violated.

gsuons unmolested.
Laws Violated.
Their reports show that they found many
abuses existing, most OF them being viola
| tions OF sanitary laws and disregard Of
decency in the arrangement of dressing
rooms, etc. In many instances there was a
total nonobservance Of the law requiring
safety appliances in case of fire. But the
major portion Of their work related to the
wages paid women and the cost of their
| living. Their finding is a startling one
The average wage paid to women in Ohio,
/ they say, is S4.S3 a week, and that the
average income of each operative from
other sources amounts to but 5 cents
week. or Sass in all.
The cost Of living is 1924 a week. or
S6 cents more than the income. They find
that $2.4 is the average for board and.
lodging, light and heat II cents, clothing
Sl.25 and other necessaries 1.39. 1t seems
paradoxical that the cost of living should
be higher than the wages received, but the
| explanation is a simple one after all. Many
4 Of the female operatives are young girls
| who live with their parents, and with other
| children they contribute their earnings to
the general maintenance fund Otherwise
| OF course, II would be impossible for them
to exist. The average age of female EN-,
| ployes is q years and sAmonths In the
three cities named there are 750 under IS.
S,454 between Is and 25 and l.71e who are
over 25 years
This is not the total. number Of women
employed it should be understood. but the
number OF operatives which the deputies
found at work in the factories which they
visited. The total was $500, and this num-
ber furnishes the basis for calculation. II
will he haw na Hhee
strike investigation testimony was pro-
duced showing that the great silk and cot
ton mills Of Pennsylvania were being run
with child labor, the meager earnings going
to help out the scanty wages of the father
for his underground toll.
Goes 10 the Family.
The report shows that Of the l751 opera
tives on the schedule in Cleveland 755 paid
their earnings TO their families. In Colum-
bus 522 out Of 2,155 did the same, while in
Cincinnati ,802 out of 1854 contributed to
the general good. This exhibits a total OF
3.O79, or less than 50 per cent OF the whole.
From this it will be seen that the explana.
tion goes only part of the way. The query
still stands: How do the other so per cent
manage to live on the pittance which they
receive?
; One OF the most remarkable things in
this connection is the fact that many OF
, these women workers have persons de-
pendent upon them, thus enlarging the
mystery of how they manage to live o.
the iii women interviewed in Cleveland
II was found that there were l62 persons
dependent upon them, or ! for every
workers In Columbus there we're S55 de
4 pendents for 2155 workers, or ! TO ever,
. g. In Cincinnati the ratio was / to ever,
g. there being l,lS6 dependents upon tn
1884 workers The average ratio a
Il CLEANED from these figures is ] dependen
4 for every 4 workers in petticosts.
In Cleveland the highest average wage
$ ! are paid 10 women employed in the manu-
A facture Of flags. tents and awnings, an
, ! amounts TO S7.63 a week Next come tn
5 makers Of ladies' clothing. who get S.
q The lowest wages are paid to the girls VIII
, work in the big machine shops maxim
r belts, nuts and washers. Their averag
pay is $3.46. These girls il should be re
membered, work in competition with n
highly favored penitentiary contractors 3
e the city, who employ convict labor an
P. are furnished factories, light and heat
y the bargain. Low as the rate is, the cor
a tractors pay the state more for the COZ
d victs per diem than the Cleveland mani
ie facturers allow the girls who work ami
the roar and grind Of their huge machine
g Visitors Were Amazed.
. The delegation Of British workingme
is who visited this country as guests Of s
Alfred Mosely were amazed at the emplo!
NJ ment Of girls in this form Of employmen
ir and upon their return home published le
in ters denOuncing it. They pointed out n
,e fact that these female slaves we're con
A PEELED TO be constantly on their feet wstcl
m ing several Of the automatic machines. II
le deputy commissioner, who visited one
IL these belt works in Cleveland, found IN
re the forewoman Of the packing departme