The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-05
THE MILLS Of THE STATE
Are 352 With a Capital Of $54::
1872, 300.O 90
The Mills Support 146,4OO People, the
Total Number of Employees Of Cot
I'M. WOODEN and Silk Mulls Being
5a5e2

From the forthcoming report OF the
Department of Labor and Printing
the following concerning the cotton
WOODEN. silk and knitting mills OF the
State will give much information upon
the subject. The report says: i.
Cotton. WOODEN and Knitting Mills.
The $50 cotton. wooden. silk and
knitting mills reporting snow an an,
thorized capital of S54.192,o0O ana
the employment of 3,1O3.O79
54.s12 looms, 1922 knitting machines
and 132,961 horsepower. Total num-
Der of employees reported by cotton,
wooden and silk mills is 54,262, OF
whom 2S,0S2 are male and 2o,b44 are
female adults. One undred ana
forty-six thousand four hundred are
upon the mills for a live
lihood. Eighty-fiVe per cent adult
EMPLOYEES read and write and eighty
per cent of children. In spon TO
the question with reference to chill
drn under twelve years OF & work
ing in factories 80 per cent of the
manufacturers answer in the mega
tive 4 per cent in the affirmative
and 6 per cent do not express an opln-
ion. Seventy-four per cent favor COM
pulsory school law. fourteen per cent
oppose it n twelve per cent express
no opinion upon the question.
The average number of our con-
stituting a days work is ten n
Seven-tenthS. Twenty per cent OF tint
mills operate ten hours per day, nine
teen per cent ten and a half hours.
fifty-seven per cent work eleven
hours. and four per cent do not re-
spond to the inquiry. The highest
average wages paid men for the year
1908 was $3.50; owes average for
men 70 cents; highest average for
women $3.50: lowest average for wo-
men, Sc cents; average wages of chill
dren about 81 cents. Fifty-twO per
cont of tho ann 1pf1rprS- nav wages
weekly: fOrtN-One per cent pay semi
monthly; five per cent pay monthly;
and two per cent on demand. twenty
one per cent repOrt that wages have
increased during the year; seventy
light per cent say thre has ben no
change and n per cent do not an
swer the question. SiXty-five per cent
report the financial condition of en-
ployees good, three per cent very
good, one per cent excellent, four per
cent medium, twenty-one per cent
fair, n per cent poor and five per
cent fail to respond to h inquiry.
Knitting Mills.
The So knitting mills reporting this
| year show an aggregate authorized in
vestment of $2,919,260 and the en-
ployment of 73,968 spindles, 6,232
machines and 5,0S3 horsepower.
ported is 5,152, of whom 1.497 are
male and 2,903 are female adults.
| Thirteen thousand four hundred and
siXty-six persons are dependent up-
on the mills~for q livelihood. Ninety
six per cent of the adult employees
! read and write. and ninety-three per
| cent Of the children.
Eighty-three per cent of the man.
| ufacturers oppose the working of
| children under twelve years of age
in factories, six per cent of them are
favorable to the proposition and
! eleven per cent do not answer the
question. : +SiXty-three7 per cent favor
compulsory school law, twenty-five
cent express no opinion upon the
question. Thirty-eight per cent OF
the manufacturers pay wages week
| lv, sixty per cent s~emi-1nonthly, two
per cent monthly. Twenty-Five per
cent report an increase of wages,
seventy-three per cent say there has
ben no change and two per cent do
not answer. Sixty-three per cent re-
port the financial condition OF en-
| ployees to be good, tWenty-seven per
cent say it is fair. two. per cent poor
and eight per cent express no Opin-
ion.
The average number Of hours con-
stituting a days work is ten. High
| est average wages for male adults
per day, Sail; loves average for
men. "A cents. Highest daily average
wages for female adults, SLAP; low
| Average, wages of children, So cents
per day. In a considerable number
of these establishments the employees
do piece work, and their compensation
is based upon the actual service rem
| 6ored.