New-York tribune., 1909-09-16
THE LOCKED DOOR
Women's Clothes Made m Fire
3 Trans. Says Miss Foster.

when a woman goes 90 a store and buys a ne"
gown or coat, any other addition TO her Waro-
robe she would doubtless be shocked II she were
told that the women who made that gaTIneht
-vorlSed behind locked DOORS up numberless flights
OF stairs and sometimes without even fre escape
Yet this IS precisely the condition which is TO be
found in many of the factories where women $
clothes are made. according 10 Miss Lily Foster,
the factory inspector, whose work for the children
has gained her the in the factory dis
fTicts of the suffer the Little Children Lady.
Miss Foster is much interested in the children
as ever but she says that child labor is now large
~ under control in the factOriesthough not in the
tenements-snd now she IS going TO concentrate
upon these locked doors. She had half dozen
eases in court the other day. and secured con-
victions against all the accused firms And she
sntends to go getting convictions until all fac
tory doors unlocked.
We need a crusade against locked doors" she
said Tribune reporter yesterday. as much as
needed the child labor crusade If women
could realize the conditions under which their
clothes made by other women don't think
these conditions would long be- tolerated The
workers fully realize their danger too and II puts
a terrible strain their nerves l can tell as soon
go into a factory If the doors are locked, and
] can see faces light ZIP when so to try door
Miss Foster testified in court 20 some startling
things, but says that they are only small part
OF what she might have told. one firm against
which she secured q conviction had a factory on a
ninth floor. Miss Foster walked Up eight flights
she knocked in vain for sdmittance- Then she
went down and took the elevator. only TO find her
self in a small Enclosure, separated from the work
sooms by 3 dwarf partition and locked door
The key was sent for the Office. and after wait
sng twenty-six minutes che was informed that the
rroprietors son had gone downtown with the key
an his pocket
This was an unusual case. Miss Foster explained,
one exit is usually left open. The employers
VIII argue this is sufficient but the fire might
easily cut exit of The elevator, too, IS
ally accessible, but elevator would be useless IN
case Of IRE. for IT is operated by human agency.
and more than twenty persons could get into an
elevator az once
''I'he employers give the trivial for
locking the doors One man said he had 10 lock
she doors because If he didn't the men would so
out and get beer. Others said that they were
afraid that some would their goods or
their styles, and IL is that there danger from
thieves. But that does justify the breaking Of
the Law. Occasionally employer is just stupid
end doesn't realize what he is doing. and in a good
many warning has been sufficient"
One OF the things which Miss Foster did not have
occasion 10 tell in oourt how she finds the fire
hose cut.
Il have found the hose cut all through a build
tng," she said, and in many cases The nozZles
gone. Thieves remove the metal couplings and
nozzles and the employers do not bother TO replace
them. They wound around the standppes in
the most innocent way. snd except when the noz-
zles have been removed along with the couplings
but factory inspector would suspect any
fhng wrong. But get 10 have a kind Of second
sight in these matters