The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-01
WORKING WOMEN
!. or A GREAT CITY
How Many Good Women Make
Money iii Richmond in
These Days.
BUSY GIRLS IN ONE Ne ROOM
Earning Good Wages Every
Filling Tin Boxes With
Smoking Tobacco.

| Week Filling Tin Boxes With
Smoking Tobacco.
! 1t Ia probable TINT moro women nre
earning 1noney-mnking their own llv-
ling In Richmond than IN any city OF
| oqunl size In tho South. Il
Not long ngo heard Il gentleman who
] has given tho subject much considern-
| ton say TINT n great many more arc
! earning money by their own work than
/ ought to. Tic snid there nrc many young
| women working in stores, and even IN
| fac tories, who are not compelled 10 40
| so. Tho fathers of many OF them are
able and willing TO take care OF them III
Il very respectable way and 40, so fnr as
| board is concerned but can't AFFORD TO
clothc thcm as fine as they wish TO dress
aud furnish them with rs many theatre
tickets and street cur tickets rs they
wish, and SO they go into the Shops TO
earn money to crafty their fondness Tor
good clothes and Their luxurics. But tHnt
Is nntllcr story
This story Is slmply8to tell how some
women nre making more than a#llVing
in this good town that opens up SO many
ways for worthy women to not only earn
a living but 10 mako enough to save
good money for the inevitable rainy
day." AS Is well known n great many
women and girls are employed IN the to-
bacco and cigar factories of Richmond.
Y paid n visit one day last week to
factory and saw q small army OF women
most Of them young women, work there.
| was particularly interested In ono room
in which sixty or seventy were working
like bees in Il hive, putting UP IN boxes
one particular brand OF plug cut, comDi-
nation chewing and smoking tobacco.
Their business was to pack the tobacco
in little oblong tin boxes. putting one
and two-third ounces Of the finished pro
duct in each box and the way thelr
hands and fingers flew as they seemed
tc throw the strips of tobacco Into me
boxes MS the said strips came from me
cutting machine like wheat from the
hopper OF an elevator.
An Art in Their Work.
These women and girls are paid eight
cents per hundred for filling these boxes
and there Is quite an art In It. me work
cannot be properly done W anybody. Inc
girls have to learn the knack' ana SONY
never learn It. Many nave tried 1t, ana
failed, but when one can do tho work,
md do 1t we'll, 1t is astonishing now
rapidly they fiji the little tin boxes and
pass them on to the stamper.
NV attention was called to one par
ticulnr operator, who has been engaged
t., n,,ine tho ihoxcs In that factory and
l., ~, ono room for the last eight
. =. e.hn Inc become truly expert and
=. ~ fro factory told me he
~, ,,o,,., soon q better. a faster or
49, ,rd,,s+ r,ous workcr in any business
~. ~. 49, chn ,vns AT her table every
' .ns. ' Az, ~ lat voar and never filed
~, ~ 49, IN, hoxcs per day. and very
80, 20 49, &c n,nnv os 5000 pcr day.
~ 49,, a. ror thc whole Of last year
- -. = ,nt,,no, ( co0 and 700 per day.
m M. ,odo hor INV ner week run from
eo l''. =, zoe If vas not less than $24 any
',,a,L last ,aor according to the records
=, NC on,,cc
81 :n1;
0iie % q 0> 81
or course this good woman IS an cA *,
ccption--in fact, she IS u prod'syi p''t az
of the sixty or seventy women AT "orK
at the bench IN this room arc gooa
workers, putting up from 4,loo 10 1'ooo
boxes per day. That makes their pay
run from SIS TO S2o per week, ana tneS
are paid Off weekly. A. green glrl may
90 TO me pencI a''u - eng 20 :. ~.
and teachable, she VIII pc aple, alter
ono days catching on, 10 M Two
thousand boxes per day. Shc VIII then
increase her speed day by day ana ~
two weeks time she Will be up with
some of the fast ones. putting up TOUR
Thousand and more boxes per day
The filling of these little tin boxes with
one and one-third ounces OF tobacco re-
aulrcs twenty-slx distinct movements
,,,>o,,1 aI,,5 :, ,o,ts to,, nov ,,inuto Thus