St. Tammany farmer., 1907-07-20

sold at a lew price as method OF
advertisement Amy shopper, however
conscientious, could take advantage ef
an opportunity to obtain bargain
that would fall in one of the above
classes.
In the category Of "illegitimate'
bargains come I'D articles sold cheap
because given out to be made under
the contract system of work-a sys-
tenn which reduces the profits of the
workers to al1nost nothing in order
to place money in the pockets of con-
tractors and subcontractors; (2) arti-
cles sold at low price because made
in sweatshops, where amid unWhole-
some surroundings the workers are
compelled to toll IA and 16 hours
day-poor folk who must pay the rent
of the workrooms, pay for the llght-
ing and heating of them, for the ma
chinery and tools and for the del1V-
cry of goods; (3) articles sold cheap
because children under legal age have
been employed, or the factory laws IN
other ways violated, or because the
workers have not received a fair llv-
ing wage for their work or have been
in some other way imposed upon Tor
selfish and aEaricious purposes.
Dangers lurK in many so-called BAR
gains, such as cheap wall paper that
exudes arsenic, cheap plumbing tnat
causes illness, cheap medicine tna'
does not cure. There is, however,
large class OF intelligent and we'll
to-do shoppers who entirely ignore the
dangers lurking in another class o.
bargains. l know mother who Sc
carefully guarded her child that she
had never allowed her to ride IN
street car nor play in the park VIII
other children, nor go to any school
lest she might contract some contagl
Gus disease Yet this same carefu
mother had purchased cheap cloai
ready made, at a well-known estab
i lishment, where only the custom
made" clothing was made in the firm!
own workrooms, the rest being pur
chased from manufacturers Wn'
shirked all responsibility by giVlns
their work out to be done under TIT
contract system. Phe child died from
scarlet fever. Where caught? NO on
knows. But another case came unde
my personal observation. where IN
vestigation was possible. A womal
bought shirt waist at bargain
counter a few years ago and shortf.
after wearing it noticed pecuila
rash on her body. This proved to b
a well-known skin disease, which tn
physicians found difficult to cure. He
husband made search and discovers
that the shirt waist had been mad
in dirty sweatshop by a young CIR
who for years had been victim 0
this diseased These bargains were IN
deed costly to the purchasers, and tn
foolhardiness of buying sweatsho
bargains, physically tainted, become
at once apparent.
1t is CONCEDED that tuberculosis /
| Infectious; It is an established FAC
that many of the tenement houses i
that quarter of New York city know
as the "east side" are filled wit
tuberculosis germs; the dried tubercl
has been found in the dust taken b
way of experiment from differen
houses at random. There are abou
100000 people in. the entire state
New York employed in the carmen
making industry and of this numbe
about 10000 work in this crowde
tenement house district. Men, wome
and children in the last stages
consumption work until they are to
weak to sit up, and the garments mad
in these infected novels are distribute
all over the country. Is there an
wonder that one-seventh OF the ent1r
number Of deaths is due to tubercult
sis? Persons living in Kalamazoo
Topeka, Richmond or Savannah al
just as likely to buy these germs wit
their garments as though they pu
chased them in New York.