Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-05-30
"fnishing'' coat or pair Of trousers
and that they can Finish" only one

"fnishing' a coat or pair Of trousers
and that they can finish" only one
garment an hour. Hence to make even
IS cents day they must work steadily
between nine and ten hours day, be-
sides which they are obliged. toscarry
the garments to and from the contract.
or's shop, being frequently detained
there to wait for their work, and final
~ they must take time to perform their
regular duties as housekeepers. It will
therefore be seen that the home finish
ers work unusually long hours.
Mention has already been made of
the fact that $40 represents the aver
age six months earnings Of home fill
ishers and their helpers. The 722 fe-
male flnishers had 1875 helpers, of
whom 80 were husbands, So relatives or
grown up sons and daughters and 1O5
minor children. 1t is probable, howev-
er, that more children than that actu-
ally rendered some assistance, as par
ents realize the prejudice against child
labor and hold back mention Of the
same. OF the 1O5 child helpers none
was under eight years Of age, although
there were 634 children below that age
in these families; were between eight
and twelve years Of age out Of total
Of 3O5 in that class; ~ were between
twelve and fourteen years of age out
of a total of 121 children in that class:
"a were between fourteen and sixteen
years of age as compared with 147 in
that class, and 62 were between sixteen
and twenty-one years Of age as COM
pared with 241, most Of the remainder
being engaged in outside employments.
With such outside work of husband.
children, etc., the average six months
earnings per family were $249, which
was increased to 1851 by the receipt Of
money for board and lodgings.
Small as are the earnings of the home
fnishers they were superior to the in
come OF makers of artificial flowers.
The average earnings Of sixty women,
nearly all Italians, engaged in this
trade In the first half of 1902 were only
SO, and in earning this amount the
sixty women had fifty-seven helpers.
In view Of the low. wages paid in
this trade it is worthy OF. note that all
Of the workers reported that they were
employed :. directly by manufacturers
and not by contractors, who by some
persons are looked upon as superduous
if not oppressive middlemen. s.,-.
The average number of weeks
worked by the 1877 male home workers
In the first six months of 1902 was
twenty-five and three quarters, and Of
the 1923 women twenty-five and half
weeks. The majority (407s OF 722) Of the
women who did, lfhishing worked
more or less steadily through out the en-
tire twenty-six weeks, the average
number Of weeks worked 81 an having
been twenty-five and three-quarters.
Twenty eight Of the sixtys:women who
made artificial flowers worked: every
week in the season, which includes =
few weeks at the close of 1901, but
twelve worked only seventeen weeks
out Of the twenty.six and, thus reduced
the average time for all to nineteen
and three-quarter weeks. III, =s : {
The average age Of all the male home
workers, so tar as the fact could be o.
certained, was forty-six years. None
was under twenty .one years of age,
and thirteen were. more than .stxt
! years old The average age of tenaale