The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-02-27


Which Is Alleged to Portray Condi-
tions in North Carolina Cotton
NiIi.-Reading it, Senator Oyerman
Hikes to NageI's Office and Some
thing Ensues.
(By T.. a. BROWN.)
Washington, u. G., Feb. 24.-A
story which appeared in the Herald
this morning, headed Southern Mills
Bad AS Prisons purporting to be
based on q report Of the Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor in
which the standard of living in mill
communities at Greensboro and Bur-
1ington is described az below that Of
the Federal prison in Atlanta, has
much exercised the North Carolina
and other Southern delegations in
Washington.
Senator OVerman, whose reference
to the Investigating agents sent out
by the government to the South as
long haired men and short haired
women has become q stock phrase
at the capitol. was greatly ange-ed
at h slur cast upon the mill on n
ers and operatives Of his State.
Immediately after reading tie
o\OAy Lto CCidlot 4 vi ECtti tldIS
Nagel Of the Bureau of Commerce
and Labor and demanded AN eXplana-
ton of the alleged report declaring
that he intended to introduce in the
Senate Monday a resolution calling
Tor an investigation Of the report.
Secretary Nagel called in Assistant
Secretary Neil, who assured the Sem
ator that no such report had been
sent out from the bureau. The sup
position Is hat the writer in the story
which appeared this morning chose
sentences from the report with the
set purpose of bringing his story to
the tone in which it appeared.
Secretary Neil promised to address
to the Senator tonight a letter in
which the appearance OF the story
was fully explained. Until he re-
ceives the letter, Senator Overman
Will issue no statement and will in
uOduce no resolution in the Senate.
Lying ParagraDhically.
Paragraphs Of the story as it ap-
peared follow:
The bureau selected twenty-one
typical Southern cotton mil families,
ten Of them living in or near Atlanta
six Just outside of Greensboro, n. c..
and five living at Burlington. n. =.
and the report states that a compare
son Of the menus Of the families
studied with the dietary of the Fed
eral prison at Atlanta shows that fol
breakfast and dinner the quantity anC
quality OF food of the families liyine
fairly we'll is not far different from
the prison diet. They have a, it'll.
more variety, perhaps.
Taking the result Of more than
hundred families studied in the South
ern cotton mills. the report says:
The minimum standard is a stand
ard OF living SO low that one Woul,
expec few families to live on it,"
The report says that with few ex
ceptions they live in houses owne,
by the mill company and in man
cases buy their provisions from tn
company store.
In other industries,' adds the re
port. the father may feel that h
can never hope for anything more fo
himself. but he can at least plan an
struggle for a better life for his chi.
dren. Here the mill demands tn
children as we'll as the fathers"
me report says the so-called MOI
NAL family-father with wife and chi
dren depending upon him for SUI
ports not found among the twent,
one typlcal southern cotton mill fan
lilies studied, and that most Of tt
families. even the poorest, were SUI
ported by the earnings Of sever
w~age-earners, and in addition tt
majority had the benefit of an il
come from boarders. The avera;
numOeT OF WaSe-earnefS per fami
for the twenty-One families was SO.
The mother, it Is stated, spent lie
for her clothing than did the old
daughters. and that in some instanc
the mOun spent by them for clot
ing was wholly inadequate. In O,
instance. one mother reporting
clothing for the year slipper
cents she wearing the clothing tn
her daughters had discarded. T
average paid by any mother for h
clothing for the year was s14.e2.
the majority of instances, it is stat,
the families end the year slightly
debt"