Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-05
CARED FOR IN DULL TIMES
Sons Follow Fathers and Daughters
the Mothers in Occupations.
MODEL TOWN FOR employees
How Foreign Mineral Waters Are
Made-Story Of the big
Wind in Ireland
By WILLIAM +. CURTIS.

The advantages of Belfast for the man
ufacture OF linen goods. the very damp
climate which softenS the thread so that
il does not snap in THE spindles or the
looms and enables the fabric to be woven
closer and softer and the purity of the
water for bleaching were recognized long
ago. and. after the revocation of the edict
OF Nantes in 1885. when 100000 Protest
ants fled from France. a party of Hugue-
not refugees under Louis Crommelin
were invited to come over and introduce
that industry. Crommelin belonged to a
family that had woven linen for four
hundred years.
Crommelin. the Great Linen Weaver.
He was A man of great business abil-
Ty, common sense, energy and perse-
verence and they called him "Crommelin
the Great" Belfast certainly owes him
heavy debt and it has not been paid
Although the Irish parliament passed a
resolution thanking him for his services
In 1907. his grave in the little churchyard
at Iisburn. suburban village. is marked
by only an ordinary slab of stone. There
Is no monument to remind the people of
the north of Ireland what they owe to his
ability and devotion.
The business grew RAPIDLY for the first
century and half. and as early as 1855
Belfast had eighty mills and was produc-
ing S2J.000.OO0 worth of linen fabrics an
nually. In 1870 there we're 100000
spindles buzzing about this town. but the
trade reached its maximum in the seven
ties and has not increased much since.
There are in all ireland about 81, 900
looms and 100000 spindles. all of them in
this immediate vicinity, except two fac
tories at Dublin, one at Cork and one at
DTogheda
Wages and Hours of Operatives.
These are divided among about 200 fac
tories with about 10000 operatives, of
whom two-thirds are women. Their wages
range from So to 81 week. and for men
from ST to 81 week, the weeks work
under normal circumstances being fifty
1--WE hours, the year around, beginning at
6 O'Clock in the morning. with an hour
off for breakfast from $ to 0: another
hour from l till . for lunch. and then
they remain at work until 6 o'clock. An
act of parliament does not permit opera
tives in textile factories to remain in
the building where they work during the
breakfast and lunch hours for any pur-
pose whatever. If they bring their meals
with Them they must eat them outside
of the factory. This is to give them a
change of air and require them to take
a certain amount of exercise. Many of
the companies here feed their hands in
dining halls connected with, but apart
from the workrooms.
Even these small wages have been in
creased from 10 TO 10 per cent within the
last five years, and 1t is remarkable how
such limited incomes. The wages are
paid on Saturday noon. when a half holt
day is allowed, and the money is given
10 the hands in tin, boxes. Each operative
has his own number AS they pass the
paymasters window they call out their
number, receive their box. take out the
change and throw the empty into bin
that is placed near the door for that pur
pose.
Employment for Many.
There are not less than $1,000 persons
employed in the linen trade and it's allied
industries in the city of Belfast, and
not less than 10000 people are dependent
directly or indirectly upon that industry
for support The situation is quite diff
ferent here from many cities, because
the fathers and husbands can find work
in the shipyards and foundries and thus
the whole family is able to get employ
ment. The law does not allow children
under fourteen years of age to work in
the factories. but a large number of boys
and girls between fourteen and seventeen
are engaged at wages of from 81 to 81
a week, and much is done in the
way of embroidery, hemstitching and
other forms of finishing in the house
holds. The patterns are stamped on the
cloth and the pieces are given out to
women and girls to finish in their homes.
The employers here exercise a personal
interest and have a paternal policy for
the treatment of their employees. which
does not occur often in the United States
and other countries. This is largely due
10 the fact that generations have worked
in the same mills for the same companies
our manufacturing industries are not old
enough for such an experience Labor is
not migratory here as il is in the United
States. 1t is customary for sons to fol-
low the trades of their fathers and when
% dnry erhf all
the mill the mother leaves il.
Workmen Satisfied With Small
Wages.
The workmen here are satisfied with
small wages; their standard Of living is
so much lower than in the United States
that theS can get along very we'll as their
fathers and ancestors have done for gen
erations upon their scanty earnings.
Very few of them save any part of their
wages.
Not > per cent of the wage-earners OF
Belfast patronize the savings banks. They
I'VE from hand to mouth and, knowing
TINS tact, their employers are compelled
To look after them in hard times Ii they
did not the operatives who are out OF
employment would scatter and when work
was resumed ii would be difficult to fill
their places. Therefore during the present
crisis, which IL very severe to the linen
trade, most of the factories have contin-
ued IN operation, but have been working
only thirty-two hours a week since Oc-
tober. There has been no reduction o,
wages On the contrary they have been
paying for thirty-seven hours work when
they have been in operation only thirty
Two hours The working force In most
81 the factories has also been reduced by
SuSpending operatives who have brothers
or sisters or other breadwinners of the
same family in the same factories. For
example, where there were two sisters at
the looms or the spindles one Of them was
suspended. They have alternated on duty
recording to their own option. but have
received only one wage. There are said
to be- now 12Up women out of employ
menU in this city.
Inc work OF the operatives in linen "a O.
tories Is very trying on the health be-
cause the atmosphere OF the rooms is kent
as damp possible in order to soften
the threads and make them more plia BILE
Few OF the operatives live past middle
life unless they have unusually strong
constitutions.
Flax and the Linen Industry.
More than half the fax used here comes
from Russia. Only about 1900 tons is
raised in Ireland. and that entirely In
Ulster province. where 5000 acres are
devoted TO its cultivation. An average OF
1000 tons year is imported from Hol.
land. Belgium and other countries as
well -