The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-09-22
SWEATSHOP LAWS ARE
AGAINST WAGE WORKER
Chicago Inspector Unearths
Some Defects in Laws p,
Z
Regulating Sweatshops.
SAYS Most of the Work. is Done
in the Homes-Sweaters +
Laugh at Officials. :: ;:

Chicago, ILL.,, Sept. 2o-The crusade
Of the Chicago health department.
against the sweatshop evil has devel-
oped the fact that the laws on this
subject have been made against the
workers and have ignored the manu-
facturers. d
I'VE find it impossible to enforce
our edicts against the garment work.
ers," said Chief Inspector Hedrick.
"The work is all done in the homes
and, unless there is help employed
outside Of the family, we can do moth
ing. The manufacturers know this,
and laugh at our efforts to better the
cona1f 1ftionsfatth =
are now advising with the law deb4
ment, and as soon as we get,AH
ion and know where we sts6d VI
take another line. We<Will
we can under the present EN
then go to the legislature to have beyl
ter laws for the workers and more
stringent measures against the en-
ployers." s-
Inspector Hedrick Investigated the
plant of J. c.. Hattendorf, No. 49 Haw-.G
thorne avenue, yesterday. Hattendorf
is an old offender. He gathers up the !:
refuse malt from the breweries and
works it over into some kind of cattle
food. The stencil that arises from the
steaming process has caused loud
complaints in the district. In one vat
on the third floor of the building In
spector Hedrick found a great guam
tity Of malt in the last stages Of de-
cay. The stencil was unendurable
Action will be brought to force Hat
tendorf to obey the sanitary laws. The
inspectors sent out among the gar
ment workers have not yet prepared
their report. 1t is known, however,
that these reports will show bad
state of affairs among the poor women
who sew on garments in their homes
and support large families of children
on the meagre returns from their
needles. In many cases they can make
not above 80 or 80 cents a day. The
garments upon which they work are
often piled on the floor, and the chill
dren roll over them. If sicknessris in
the family, it may easily be communi-
Gated to the goods that, when finished,
are taken back to the shops and sold
to the public.
One woman at No. 81 South Jeffer-
son street supports at garment sewing
a sick husband. a deaf daughter seven
teen years old, a child of three and an
infant of a few months. The husband
has been sick for weeks, and the small
return from the woman's work is all
the money they have for food and
medicines.
In Law street many women sew on
garments, the total returns from their
work netting them 60 to 20 cents
week. The price for stitching a dozen
pairs of pants is six cents. These
women must not only take care Of
their children and keep them in school
but are aftens. married to worthless
husbands, who take, part Of their
small earnings to spend in drink
The streets and alleyways in this I
district are shamefully vile. GarbaEs
is often neglected for days, and dead
animals sometimes Tester in the alleys.
When the people of these crowded
districts are asked to help the inspect-
ors in their work of bettering their
condition they reply that they have to
live, and fear to make complaints lest
the work that brings them all the sup-
port they have be taken from them.