New-York tribune., 1903-01-15
WOMEN CIGARMAKERs.
Investigation of Conditions Governing Their
Work by DR.. Robbins.

L
Settlement No as East Seventy-second-st-, has
been making careful investigation for the ALI
Employment Bureau Of the conditions con-
nected with cigarmaking carried on IN New
York
'Cgaruaaking was formerly carried in tene-
ulent houses, where the whole tamily-sometimes
including children seven and eight years old
took part IN the work" says DR.. Robbins The
tenement house manufacture OF cigars has been
largely done away with through the Introduction
of the suction table and the bunch making
chine and find the cigarmakers at work
IN factories Of which are very large and
employ several hundred q thousand hands
The workers Boheuians Italians and Russian
Jews and men, women and girls are employed
+-On the ground floor Of most of the factories one
finds the strippers and bookers at work get
ting the tobacco ready for the cigarmakers They
are generally women and girls who have not been
long in this country; 'tgreeners' they call them
selves There will be found, perhaps, hundred
and fifty OF them in one room They are paid by
the day. and the work IS carried on under need
Iessly bad conditions. The law requires two hun
d-ed and fifty cubic feet of air space for each
worker. This is far too little: hve hundred cubic
feet would be Zone too much To make matters
worse the law says nothing TO where this air
space shall be- and it is convenient for the
foreman who oversees the work TO have the girls
near together they often crowded into one
end Of room. while the cubic feet Of air space
required by law the other end Of the room
which is occupied by tobacco that ernits q rank
overpowering odor.
'Tt is a matter Of convenience to have the tobacco
near at hand but consideration of the welfare OF
the employees suggests at once that the tobacco
should be stored in the cellar, and brought UP
only when needed The law should be modified
so as to require a certain air space around each
worker. and prevent the budding together of
the women The air of the TO the
casual visitor intolerabiy sitting. The windows
are generally not opened, opened very little.
both because the tobacco must not be allowed 20
become dry. and because II the windows are
opened. some Of the workers are sure to object to
the draught. There should be law requiring
artificial ventilation by means Of an exhaust fan
The present law applies only 70 factories where
there is dust making machinery. and II should be
extended include ali dust making ernployments
In the rooms where the tobacco is being stripped
the air is so laden with tobacco dust that any one
coming in from the outside air is obliged TO cough
almost constantly. Where the hygiene is so bad
the women naturally are pale and appear TO be IN
poor physical condition They always spoken
OF with pity by the girls employed at either cigar
making or bunchmaking They go TO work at 7:lS
o'clock and stop at s. They seldom paid more
than s. or IS a week, and their wages are some
times as low as S3 a week The strtppers are not
admitted TO the cigarmakers' union
The bunchmakers generally pay . 10 be taught
their trade and they from three to six weeks
in learning il. The cigarmakers pay SO, and they
are also several weeks in learning The bunch
makers and cigarmskers paid by the thousand
cigars The skill of the girls varies greatly. Some
of them are able to earn only 81 S d week after
years Of work while others give, their weekly
wages S. SO or $l5 One girl, who sometimes
earned SO a week has been employed only a year
at the work The first wage paid is sometimes as
low as s. a week while quicker girls able 70
earn 81 during their first week On the cheapest
grade of work the girls work independently at me
suction tables; on little better grade OF work one
cis.arnlaker two cigarmakers work with q
buuehulaker. who gets the tobacco in shape for |
The final covering put on by the cigarmakers.
The first observation made in visiting the fac
tories is that the girls their put the cigars
into their mouths bite off the ends. They are
rro,-oed with knives girl finds it quicker TO
use her teeth than TO stop TO pick up knife To |
make a fair wage the speed at which she works |
must be very great. and as result OF her haste !
she viii often sit all day with her mouth full OF |
bits OF tobacco This is not only hardship 10 the
girl but since she bites of the end the smoker |
puts into his mouth the pos poss15e & oanser d 70 % l
The general conditions Of the cigar factories |
could be improved BY pressure brought 10 bear |
upon those employers who 90 not OF tneLnseIVeSs s
their employees. The floors .n some of the fac |
ding. In one factory the Inspector ordered that
walls be whitewashed and one OF Ine gfs sfe f
room had been made lighter and more eheeri1L sss
sary TO burn gas and the neat from the gas adqs
10 the discomfort caused py the smell OF to5aeco ~
rooms for the employees; small space wnere the
clothing is hung is simply parutioned OH from Inc
The cigarmakers are allowed considerable lati-
fBSa as 10 hours At noon they often eat thelII
i1neheon hastily without leaving their tables. and
refzir again az they nave eaten a. !
yreIId % much better Il there were eoIn151issTE
snrerrlsson of hour al noon, especially II Ia4s
ssy,e could be taken ventilate the rooms &c /
workers often knock of before o'clock IN tns s
' ' .tar1oon too tired 10 work any longer Some OF
.rsT, Tske occasional weeks OF, and are re-efl-
,-Iot-ed when they apply for work The cgarrnak55
80 orcIluafton il yet overcrowded; Sooo
. ---e ke~ car always obtain work and at times
80 are not enough workers 70 answer 10 tne oe-
ard for laOOr. - o5-ts y, hc u-,rIr
- eg,-Tfor tables perhaps not more tnan |
oe- cent belong the unions Tne men ana w9lsn 1S
os,o+foved as packers are genersliy meInpers
20 .9H H,7Hrs The Inferastionsl Cisarrf-Aefs If'oh