The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-30

all were working so hard that they
scarcely looked up as I eatered
I asked as to their wa6BF and found
that they were about 4sbf our cents
per day. and that the pay of the older
hands ranged from that to 20 cents.
Think OF working ten hours for 4
cents, and that in the dust of a SPIN
! ming mill! ! photographed some of
the children, frightening the little
ones almost to death as l did SO. The
| manager tells me that he has many!
whole families employed in the fac
tory-father, mother and children all
working. There are no laws against
child labor, and the babies aid in
keeping the wolf from the door,
Speaking OF babies, there were sew
eral OF these In the mill. Some were
still at the breast, and their mothers
had brought them along that they
might not lose work. I remember one
girl of eighteen spinning away with
an aimond-eyed infant on her knees.
and another had baby in basket
beside her. The child was quiet. AS
chucked It under the chin two yell
low dimples broke out in it's cheeks,
and 1t smiled. In another place i
saw three-month-old baby lying in
"a Pile OF white cotton waste on the
floor of the mill.
Cotton Yarn for HIND Locus.
This factory works day and night,
and there are quite as many children
employed in the might shift as in the
daytime. One thousand hands are al
ways busy, Sunday and week days, al!
the year through. It's chief product j.
cotton yarn for the domestic weaves.
This is made up into bundles, which
are then packed into bales of 400
pounds each. and shipped all over the
country. The yarn Is woven into cloth
on hand looms. and 1t supplies a large
part of the clothing of the common
people. It comes into competition
with the mills OF India and Japan. and
also with these which are now start
Ing up in the other parts of China.
am told there are something like S0O,-
600 spindles now working upon such
yarn at Shanghai, and also q large
number Of Ninspo and Soochow. There
is one big mill at Hangchow, one at
Canton, and some at Hongkong, WI
chang and Hankow The labor is
abundant, and the people easily learn
to handle the modern machinery.
New Milling Machinery.
The Chinese are rapidly introducing
the better class of machines, and their
mills are already about as we'll equip
ped al our own. A great part of their
machinery Is imported from England,
and only certain specialties come from
the United States. In one factory
found an American light plant with
5000 electric lamps burning, and in
another there We're modern fire ma
chimes, and the employers had fire
drill every week. In nearly evelY
place the wages were as low or lower
than those | have quoted, the highest
price paid the men being something
like so cents per day. while good
average wage was S or 10 cents. I
found girls at work in all of the fac
tories. and know of none which does
not employ children.
AT present considerable portion az
the cotton used in China is Imported
from abroad We have the bulk of the
Manchurian trade, although japan ia
doing It's best to compete. The Enc
lish sell the greater part ofsthe goods
brought into the Yangtse Valley an1
South China, and the Germans avs
pushing their cloths ! every,there,
Within the past Year tor so, however
tho Chinese officials have been start,
ing small factories In which hand
looms are used. i saw sorEe IN TIent-
sin and other parts OF CAihli ana I
am told that there are moAa than / d.
600 such looms now at wMk in that
Il
China's Cotton sus .ss
China is doing all 1T can sS Si.npyoya!
y, 81 q