Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-17

said, that / obtained, after long
night out IN the London streets with
detected and homeless creatures,
temporary job in jam factory There
were there some score or more of wo-
men and girls who. like myself, had
spent the night wandering the streets
OF London. This kindly town had Of
fered us no place OF refuge where we
could have washed or made ourselves
in any way decent or fit to take up
work in fruit-preserving factory. one
of the women had some nasty skin
disease, what II was | am not able TO
say. They were all desperately dirty,
and absolutely unfit to touch food that
was meant for human consumption.
"'There WAS no place In this factory
where the workers could wash their
hands. nor were there sanitary arrange
ments of any description. We sat down
as we had come out OF the street ana
began work, The heat was so Intense
that the perspiration poured down the
unfortunate workers. and every now
and again a woman would put up hoi
| hand to dash off the moisture from her
forhead and face.
"The fruit was OF course not washed.
It came 10 the factory IN huge vans.
piled high I'm large baskets. It was the
practise of this particular factory 10
buy at Covent Garden market the sec
ond or slightly of fruit, which was
unsaleabe TO fruiterers, Costermongers
or green grocers. Owing TO the heat
and pressure OF packing the fruit often
arrived at the factory I'm sort OF half
fermenting mess indeed, so bad was It
often that 1t was impossible 10 pick
out whole fruit. All we could do was
10 take up the mess by handfulls, pick
out any leaves or stems that were pro-
nent, and throw Il into the next basket
in a sort of pulp"
WAGES OF THE WOMEN.
The wages OF the women IN this fac
tory never exceeded $l.75 a week, and
for this they were often compelled to
work II or 10 hours a day.
From the Jam factory Olive Christian
Malvery went TO marmalade factory
the chief director OF which is a man Of
high standing In his church and noted
for his charity and public beneficence.
lin this factory" she said were en-
ployed some 20 women and girls and be-
tween 80 and 40 men. The women We're
of a very low class-foul -mouthed and
drunken Every room had a foreman.
In all my experience OF factory work |
have continually heard the Same COM
plant made where men are employed
to supervise girls and women IL would
not, OF course be polite to retail all that
one hears OF the evils arising from such
a system, but IL Is sufficient 10 say that
the fact has come 10 my own knowledge
OF two girls who rather than give up
their means OF livelihood. submitted 90
the wishes Of the foreman under whom
they worked. 1t Is not pleasing TO con-
template the closing chapters of such
history.
THE ORANGE PEELS.
Il was never able 10 find out where
the oranges were bought. and | can
not give as authentic the story I'm COM
mon circulation IN the factory that
the great quantities OF orange peel
which | myself saw brought I'm were
swept off the streets. ! had no means
OF verifying this statement, but this !
do know, that the oranges, which came
| I'm great baskets piled one on top OF the
other In the company's own vans, were
often IN state of decay.
zone morning the consignment Of
fruit for the days boiling was so bad
| that the workers nude open jokes
| about It when the foreman was not too
| close. one basket OF oranges which
| had the pleasure OF unpacking and
counting contained fruit SO bruised and
| crushed down, and evidently OF such
age that there was a growth of greeny-
white midew on the top and between
| ach layer | pointed this out to the
| foreman and was promptly told that
| that was no concern of mine. and that
| il ! could not mind my own business
| there were others as could.
There Is only one conclusion which
| comes To those who work iu such
| places. and that IS that even wealth
| does not protect people from the dirty
| and disgustingly manufactured s-ufgs
| sent out from these places, for their
sale ! am happy 20 say, rs not confined
| 90 the very poorest classes. IL is some
| small satisfaction 20 think that emo
| LADY, with all the dainty tastes fOs;-
| cred by great wealth and elegant SUR
| rOundiugs, may perhaps partake Of
| some preserved deliCacy which has been
/ made In filthy and unsauitary work.
shops by suffering and dirty people"
EMPLOYMENT IN MEATHoUsE.
| In the course Of her Investigations
| Miss Malvery obtained employment In
a mcatpackmg house owned by a large
| company and a very rich one, and run
| IN a namo that has been for many
| years familiar TO the British public,
Relating her experiences there Miss
Malvery said.
"On one occasion there came into the
factory four enormous wooden cases
containing tongues and sleeps hearts.
which We're widowed over and smeilcd
so fearfully that Il made one physic-
ally sick. the whole air was polluted
BY the smell from these hOrrid cases,
and yet every scrap Of that diseased
onal was used in the preparation OF
Continued on page eighteen.)