The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-02-17
JACK LONDON RIGHT on
CH|CAG0 SWEAT SHOPS.
Women Working for $1.00 Per
Week Sever Condition for
Labor.
Piuful Conditions Prevail
From Expressions by Rich .
Windy City Men. {.

The assertion Of Jack London, novel>
list and lecturer. that girls work for so
cents week In Chicago sweatshops,E
was confirmed last week when. several
women told reporters. for the Chicago
American that they worked on gar-s
ments for that sum or even less per
week. Often, they added, they stood I'M
line for hours, till they were weak and
faint, to get work paying them or
10 oents. i
In times Of expectional prosperity.
women toilers in sweatshops makes as
much as 81 or IS. but at present, when
there Is little work and wages are un-
usually low. 81 week is wage by
no means unusual "a
The case Of Miss Pauline MenEentina:
only rs years of age, but a widow and
the mother Of two children, who 1lveH
at II Vine street, was one of the in :.
Vulnerable victims Of under pay, Az
ter six hours Of waiting and work the
woman had earned 15 cents, and herr
total earnings for the week were 90
cents.
In two dimunitive but neat and care,
1uIly cleaned rooms, the woman. whosei
sight is failing, sorrowfully told of herr
unaVa1l1ng efforts to earn more than
the amount that will feed, but not.
clothe her children. "a
Many. many others want such L
work. she declared, more than can ba
employed. Sometimes when there was#
much work, I could earn 81 and per-ff3
haps IS per week. Now we are r1a7i#
we can get 81 for the weeks toll"
The experience Of Mrs. Mengentinas
IS declared by representatives of Hu1E
House and Mrs. N. j. Peake, las Sede-f
WICK street to be common s.
IN many 'sweatshops" along West:
twelfth and adjacent streets $3.50 =
week Is said to be q maximum wapa
ior the women employees, while the av.
erage Is less than 81. Girls of ages
ranging from ten to twenty vearx
crowd the shops and stand patiently in !.
me Tor the proffer Of an unflnishea,
garment on which two or three hours,
to11 WILL ent1tle them to check calling.
Tor TO II cents. Others crowd abonti
the machines and await their turn,
Hepresentatt yes Of Hull House q MI
c1fy officials have caused the banfa,,.i
1Ns OF hundreds sof children fron, IS Il
shops. but work often has. Sbean cor.I
nnuec at. the homes of the parents
munger nnds way to evade the Law
IN the shops, the workers vera fonnd
10 oe principally women about tha 49,
VI twenty years. The proprietor snfi
eacn place was voluble in assert,n. 81
'nae competition and the averica ori
wholesale dealers made a higher x,.~.
scale impossible. -. -.
several Of the workers si1entlv e~-tt
ii'o'ted their checks when ouestior.,,
'ne amount not exceeding ~ cent. ~
any case for three hours' work
eome weeks I make $780," deo.,r.si
wary stanVesky, 1913 Fifteenth .tr..+
Then some weeks I make not o. s..S,'.i
'V cents or 80 cents I am herr.
w." oi eieVen hours every day. {,
work all the time when I am not ..,.
eat" e'nlng TO.
MRS Florence Kelly, of Huu Hor..
o'ee..eo tnat the rapacity of the sweat.
enop owners Is not sole1v resnon.t1,,.
Tor the low wages, Sbe s.,s
s"a'ier contractors were forced to 80
cept minimum of profit by the 1ors.s
er Dealers 3 1af3-
LOU seldom hear OF we.,+h,,
s"ea'shop owner" she said. II ,aa+E
VIC reverse generally is true.". e.
from to IL cents is na;d g.
1sh'ng custom made trousers and So
garments net sums a tr,ea ,s-S'. o.ners
Ch'''ago American. $50 si.,-