The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-12-25
STATES TEXTILE ESTABLISH.
MENTS.
Paying Help $4,000, 900 More Than I'm
1911 Says Commissioner Watson.

| Paying Help $4,000, 900 More Than i'm
1911 Says Commissioner Watson.
Columbia, Dec. III am gratifed
| that without the u.e of extensive child
| labor the textiles are this year able to
pay nearly $2,OO0,OO0 more to the
employees in wages and show an
duce of over $4,000. 100000" says Com
missioner watson in his annual state
| ment on the condition Of the textile
| plants in South Carolina He says:
1.-The showing made by the textiles
at the end Of this year is indeed a
| handsome one and it is a significant
| one, for it shows a very substantial
| and material development of the in
| dustry, and what is Of more general
| concern perhaps, very much better
| conditions as to labor. The total
| spindleage is now 4,463,911 against A.
| 322,2 last year. this being an in
crease Of 141,646 during the year.
There has also been an increase of
1852 blooms. The capital in cotton
mills is now ss3.76S.646. which shows
| the very handsome increase Of S4,-
| SS0,1s2. The value Of the annual pro-
duct Of our textiles has now jumped
to $73,502,000, which is an increase
over the preceding year Of $2,574,OsO.
Referring to the labor conditions,
1t Is noteworthy that this year ST.
836. .4S6 more money has been paid for
wages than during the past year. The
| only decrease in the amount Of wages
! paid shown by any class Of the labor
Is In the classification applying to
girls under 16 years Of age. which in
dicates that their work in the mills
has been irregular. that they have
| been taking longer rests and more fire.
quently attending schools The total
| average number Of persons employed
In the textiles In South Carolina is
now 47,767. which Is an increase Of
2.16S over 1911. 1t Is gratifying that
the largest proportion OF the increase
in the number Of persons actually
employed Is in males over 16 years of
age; that increase being represented
by 1925. There --ere more women
over 16 years Of age employed during
the year 1912 than during the year
1911 by 1,012.
"Considering the condition as to
child labor, it is very gratifying that
there are 46S less children EMPLOYED in
the textiles in this State today than
year ago, and all Of them are now
over IL years of age. This has oc-
CURED Notwithstanding the increase
in the number Of people employed. In
1909 there were S,432 children under
16 years Of age employed: in 1910
| there were S,312; in 1911, 1853, and
in 1912, 7,49O. There has been dur
ing the year a decrease of SIT boys
and the increase Of girls has been
having been kept practically at
standstill. I might cali attention to
the fact that just three years ago in
the year 1909 we had 1876 under IL
years of age children at work in the
textiles. The next year. 1910, that
number had been reduced to go. Last
year the number had been further
decreased to 41O and only 169 Of those
being girls Then the new law strik-
ing out all Of the old exemptions and
| making 1t impossible for child un-
der II years Of age to work for any
cause became effective, and this year
| there is not a single child under IL
years Of age employed as far as we
are able to find through inspection,
| though there may be an occasional
case that has escaped the inspectors.
1t IL of much qualification to me, not
withstanding the rapid growth and
| Gevc!opmcnt of the textile industry
that in three years tine with the av-
erage number of employed people
| steadily increasing, We come to the
| end Of the year 1912 with 944 less
! children under 1G years Of age at
| work than we had at the beginning
of that period. | am gratihed, too.
| that without the use of extensive child
labor the textiles are this year able TO
| pay nearly two million dollars more
10 the employees I'm wages and show
an Increase in the value Of their an
nual product OF over s2,50O,OO0."