The Detroit times., 1909-04-14
SAD PICTURES IN
STOCKING PLANTS
Forty Thousand Women and Girls
May Have To Toll Longer If
Tariff Is Increased.
BY w. q. SHEPHERD.


PHILADELPHIA. April 14.-lf con-
gress raises the tariff on stockings.
who's going to be protected" in Phil
adelphia?
II the American consumer mas 10
pay 20 cents more a dozen for hose
and stockings. who's going 10 get the
money.
It won't 20 10 the factory girls.
I'VE won't raise the wages OF the
factory hands, said r. w. Simons 10
me. Mr.. Simons ought TO know. he
is president of the National Associa-
ton OF Hosiery and Underwear man
ufacturers.
Salaries won't be raised II the
tariff on hosiery Is increased" said F.
Park Moore. He's the chairman or
the tariff committee of the national
association above mentioned.
We'll, where will the the worker
benefit?" I asked him.
They'll get steadier work" he re-
piled.
And that answer Is enough TO give
you the horrors. after you have seen
the knitting district.
hours cramped up. over knitting ma
chimes. II means fewer holidays. II
means less rest. II means all these
things to 10000 women and girls In
the Philadelphia factories.
No more wages; no fewer hours.
Here's little Anna Morgan, for In
stance. Her parents are poor and her
father IL Ill; he gave 20 years OF lie
to the factories.
i've been working 10 weeks In the
factory" said Anna. proudly. as she
was on her way TO work the other
morning at quarter to o'clock. The
first week I worked for nothing.
was learning then. but the next week
I earned 81. The third week l earned
SO, and after that I got a steady sal
airy OF &4.20 q week. When / get old
err I'll get more money. like the big
girls do"
Annals face was bright and smiling.
The fact that she had to work until
seem to worry her II was all new and
exciting to her. She said she was 10
years old.
Down the street saw coming a
girl who had lost her smile!
tory girls life. This girl. In the Sec
eyes were still bright, as IL there was
just a tiny bit OF sunshine that simply
couldn't leave them.
But her face was immovable. Lit
tie Anna had smiled when the pho
tographer took her picture. This girl
was willing to have her picture TAX
h.
something terribly old about her.
I sew hundreds of these girls go up
the stairs to the factory doors. In the
sunshine of the early morning.
Then there were the women in the
stories OF their lives. They moved
like machines.
When the photographer turned his
lexpressionless.
what do you want the picture for?"
asked little Anna. who had an inter
est In life, smoothing her hair.
IL don't look dressed up" said the
girl In the second stage
But the woman I'm the third stage
didn't seem to care what the picture
was for or whether she looked well.
And, In view of these sights--these
little working girls. these girls who
have lost their smile. these hopeless,
machine women-the masters OF these
mills even while they are crying to
congress for protection. confess thai
their protection" will give these WON
en- NOTHING more than steadier
work
These manufacturers. from the head
quarters in the Drexel building In
Philadelphia. sent out a story that
they might have parade OF factory
girls in Washington to further the
hosiery tariff bill.
But they won't. II would be a sight
that would appeal strongly to the hui
man instincts IL the parade looked
like the throngs that entered the fac
tory buildings In Philadelphia the
morning ! saw them.
There won't be any parade" said
Mr.. Simons. II think somebody sug-
gested 1t at the Chapman factory In
Easton, Pa, but 1t would be too expen-
sive to take them all down to Wash
ington."