The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-10-28
BETTER CONDITIONS
FOR FACTORY GIRLS
State Inspector Finds Girls
Are Working for Fiji
teen Cents a Day.

INDIANAPOLIS. Oct. 2S.-Foliowing !
a week spent in investigation of con- !
ditions of factories in the north part
Of the state, John J. Walsh. head OF /.
the factory inspection department Of
the new state bureau. has prepared
to send letters to ali cities where girls
are extensively employed. urging that
the municipal authorities make some
provisions for employing competent
women to visit the factories regularly
in order to bring about better working
conditions.
Il spent a great deal of time in the
tobacco factories in South Bend" said
Walsh, and found some conditions
which. while they can not be remedied
through any legal process. require the
cooperation of some good woman. or
| women.
In one of the factories l found
frail girl, one month older than the
minimum age allowed for employment
in tobacco factory. She was STEM
ming tobacco leaves. Her eyes were
bothering her so she could scarcely
work, and l soon learned the tobacco
caused it. On questioning her.
found there was no one in the family
except her and her mother, and her
mother was employed every day. The
girl told ME she had worked eight
hours on the preceding day, and show
ed me her working card where she
had earned fourteen cents for the
eight hours work. On inquiry l
found the average daily wage paid the
girls was from fifteen to thirty-eight
cents day.
"The little girl told me she could
not afford to lose days work, be-
cause the money was needed at home.
The foreman in the factory was seat
ed at one end of the room, half asleep.
He did not know l was In the room
until l had been there half an hour
1 talked to the proprietor about the
girl, and he said her bad eyes were
all her own fault, because she wiped
them with her hands when she was
stemming the tobacco. The foreman
seemed to know nothing about heI
condition or the condition OF any 9th
er girl in the factory.
Prom the tobacco plant l went tc
shirt factory, where l found a model
establishment, with plenty OF light
ventilation and convenient working
conditions for the girls. told the
owner about the girl at the tobacco
. factory. He had me send her to hin
. and gave her a job packing shirts IL
boxes at better pay in his mode
: rooms.
II told the owner of the tobacc'
= plant he should have female foremel
t in his rooms where girls were employ
l ed, but he did not take my suggestion
8 favorably.
; Il discovered numerous instance
b Of where innocent young girls wer
t working side by side with other girl
o whose manners of life were not prof.
= er, and found where the latter clas
J. had led many of the former astray
= My idea os that every city wher
t girls are employed ought to have We
e men employed to look after the girl'
and to see to it that girls of loos
morals are not permitted to wor
Ill WneTe Iuey CAu Acdu ooIAoJ SAC JouAA
!: girls who come from good homes an
I who are compelled to work to hel
= support their families. 1t is cond
ton which we can not meet throug
d the child labor law alone"
It Mr.. Walsh spent a short time In th
a mills of the United States Steel Co
o poration at Gary, and arranged
= make a second visit in short tim
. when he will spend week going ov<
o the plant with the superintendent SUI
Is gesting improvements for furth<
6 safety of the men employed there.
II number of changes were made at b
D suggestion on the visit this week.