The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-02-21
''BEEH1vE OF INDUSTRY"

Those who seek an illustration of
the advantages of Baltimore as site
for manufacturing industries may find
it in Woodberry, formerly a suburb
but now a part of the city and con-
nected with the older portion by solid
ly built-up streets.
The two industries which have
made Woodberry what it is are the
mills of the Mount Vernon Woodber-
ry Cotton Duck Company-now in
cluded in the United States Cotton
Duck Company-and the foundry and
machine shops of the Robert Poole &
Son Company. Not only Woodberry
but Hampben and Mount Washing
ton derive much ofthe prosperity from
the former.
Persons interested in social-settle-
ment work will find but little room
for the exercise of their charitable
impulses among the operatives Of
these establishments, the conditions
of squalor which too frequently pre-
vail in factory towns being happily
absent. In nearly every home may
be found piano or an organ, pictures,
books, newspapers and magazines and
happy, contented people. There has
never been any labor trouble in the
Woodberry mills. The proprietors,
modestly agreeing that proper treat
ment of the operatives had had some
thing to do with this, attribute it
largely to the fact that their force is
drawn principally from a homogene-
Gus native-born population.
The comfortable homes of the work
men may be easily accounted for.
Baltimore is one of the cheapest cities
to live in, and the employees receive
good wages. The lowest wages paid
to men about the duck mills Is eI.a5
a day, and skilled workmen receive
much more than this. The wages of
the women run from $40 to $52 a
month, and children earn from So to
$25 a month. 1t is not unusual to
find families of operatives with aggre-
gate earnings of S., 400 a year.
Woodberry is picturesquely situa-
ted, and the villagers have Druid Hill
Park at their back doors as place
for recreation. In addition to this, a
stroll of a few hundred yards puts
them right into the rugged and ro-
and extending indefinitely. All ur-
ban advantages are equally open to
them.
AS the wages of children have been
mentioned, it should be stated that
no minor under II years of age is en-
ployed in the mills, and those consid-
erably over that age are barred un-
less they can read and write. The
first 1o-hour law in this State was in
troduced in the Legislature in 1874
by Mr.. James E. Hooper, now presi-
dent of the company, and passed
largely through his influence.
In giving figures concerning the
cotton duck mills, it is hard to sepa-
rate the Woodberry- Mount Vernon
Mills proper from those at Mount
Washington, as they are grouped to-
gether, but the latter form compar-
atively small part of the whole. In
all, there are about 2,75o employed,
about in the proportion of FIVE women
or girls to four males. The monthly
payroll is about SIS, 900. The value
of the annual output of these mills is
over SIS, 900, 900.
1t is peculiar custom of the Cot
ton Duck Company to always pay the
employees in gold. Of course, the
yellow metal cannot be conveniently
used in fractional sums less than S.,
and these are made up of silver and
small coins. Checks, and even cur
rent notes, are never used. This is
said not to be from any sentimental
motives, but merely because the coin
is found easier to handle.
There are no company stores at
Woodberry, although such were for
merly in operation. These were not
run with any view to profit, however,
but merely as a convenience to the
workmen and their families. In the
same way, before the city grew out
in that direction and private enter
prise stepped in to supply the need,
the factory proprietors were compell-
ed to build houses for their en-
ployees, but building associations
were formed and the operatives were
encouraged to own their homes. The
Mount Vernon Woodberry Company
now owns and rents to its employees
100 tenements.
During the same period of growth
the large boarding house for girls was
erected. The congestion for lack of
dwellings was SO great that young
women, to obtain board at all, were
frequently compelled to sleep five or
six in a room, and the consequence
was considerable loss of time from
sickness. The company boarding
house was run as a home and not
more than two girls were permitted
to occupy the same room, the result
being an immediate improvement in
their health and working capacity.
The charge for board was carefully
adjusted to barely meet the cost, but
the company was gamer by the
girls. This boarding house became
an object of study on the part of phi
lanthropists and formed the subject of
an interesting chapter by a noted
writer on economic matters. As the
necessity for its maintenance no long
er exists it has been abandoned and
the building is used as warehouse.
The products of the Woodberry
mills are cotton duck, cotton yarns
and cotton rope, and these are sent to
all parts of the globe. 1t may not be
known to some Baltimoreans that 90
per cent. of all the cotton duck used