The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-10

and an Independent form OF family
life exists only to very small OK
tent. Tho apartments are badly crowd
Gu As many rooms AS possible arc
used Tor sleeping purposes.
Cost of Food.
About two-thirds of the Southern
mill families raised some garden stuff
had poultry or kept a COW, from which
they derived butter or milk There
facts were taken into consideration in
estimating the cost of food. In Fall
river the operatives lived under rItv
conditions without any supplcmcntary
sources of income.
The proportion which the cost OF
food In Southern households formed OF
total expenditures varied from So TO
III per cent. On reducing the cost TO
II one man basis IL was found that the
weekly cost per man ranged from So
cents TO sl.6i. Among the house
holds OF tho mill operatives in Fall
HiVer the cost OF food constituted from
81 TO 90 per cent. Of total expenditures
The weekly per man cost Of food
varied from sl."0 to s2.35, Il consider.
"ple hisher range az can pc readily
seen IMAM obtained In the South
The Clothing They Wear.
Some idea of tn. quality and CHAR
ncter Of the clothing worn by the cot
Ton mill workers can pc gained froIs
q knowledge of the dircrun, articles
bought and the prices paid.
the fathers, for instance. usually
PAD slV for suit OF clothes, 81 to So
per pair for shoes, 81 70 81 for n hat
and almost universally 10 cents :. pair
Tor sdvks. The boys fifteen years old
pay about 81 for suits. sl.5o to $3.50
per pair for shoes. IS cents 10 81 for
caps and hats, and 10 cents per pair for
stockings. The younger boys suits
cost from $3.50 10 $3.50, t:leir shoes
from $50 TO 81. CAPS and hats from
20 cents 10 81. and stockings 10 cents
per pair. The average amount annu-
ally spent BY the fathers on their
clothing was 1857.
Bingham, calico. lawn ana nercalc
are the principal materials from which
me dresses OF the women and girls arc
made Yet. In mos, instances. there
was suit either purchased ready
made OF made BY & drcssmulser
The mothers as a rule spent less fo,
their clothing than did the older
daughters. In some instance. The
amount spent by them for clothing was
who'll! Inadequate In these cases
thcir clothing was either supplemented
by that left over from former years or
py the castor clothing of the havgt-
tcrs. The largess amount paid BY any
"'oE.'Hi TOE clothinS vas S32.13. The
ahnua! average was Sii.e2.
As To Amu.cmcnts.
The amuscments and rccfcatlon Of
tho cotton mill employees in the South
are very simple. They visit among
themselves and attend their own
churches and Sunday schools In some
communities they have church build
inEs and regularly Installed pastors.
In others, the preacher comes 10 them
n q
studied. they have preaching about
once in four weeks in a schoolhousc
that is some distance away
Where the mills are located in or
near town or city. the employees go
70 the moving picture SHOWS and the
theatre occasionally sometimes for
street car rides; and sometimes 10 the
park ON an average about per cent.
OF the total expenditures is for amuse-
mcnt and recreation
In New England the outlay for
amusement is largely affected by racial
characteristics. The Irish French
Canadians and Portuguese have larger
expenditure FOR th.e item than the
other races.
some Conclusions.
The hiEtory OF the cotton industry
IL FAN River" is the same as that in
other New England towns In the be-
H'i'HiHS iI't were all eSmefl
cans These were replaced by the
English and Irish immigrants. The
English and Irish have been, in q large
measure, replaced by the French Cana
dams. and now the French Canadians
are being replaced by tho Italians,
Poles and Portuguese. In each case
the story hus been the same The
newcomers at first nlling the positions
demanding unskiiled LABOR. gradually
work their way into the more skilled
positions until they dominate the
whole industry. Each succeeding race
mas como in with standard OF living
lower Than the prevailing one.
In the South, the cotton-miil people
are of too recent origin TO permit the
forming OF any conclusions. 1t Is un-
queationabiy true that their condition
has been greatly improved by their
migration from remote and isolated
mountain and agricultural sections TO
the villages and towns. AS class
they are s;ill more or less isolated, but
contact with their new environment
is bound TO bring higher and dlversi-