The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-10
BUSY WORKERS.,
HOW They LIVE
Working and Living Conditions
Among Northern and Southern
Textile Operatives Compared.
VIEWS IN OFFICIAL REPORT
Conditions OF Factory Opera
tives in South Bcttcr Than
Those in North.
ny w. j. LAUGH.

Oh niaHc u
general study Of the cotton mill opera
tivcs in the Northern and Southern
Stats. About 200 mills were visited,
employing $1,000 wuge- earners. The
results Of this Investigation were EN-
bodied in on" Of the volumes OF the
report on Women and Child Labor. i'm
the United states. In order to verify
the conclusions reached. as We'll as 10
obtain better comparison or condi-
tions In northern and southern textile
notwithstanding centres. Intensive
and supplementary study of selected
families in both sections wuB then I'M
dcrtnkcn. In New England It was
limited TO the city OF Fall River and
I'm the South 10 Atltnta. Georgia. and
Greensboro and burlington, NOrth
Carolina. Four,een typical families
were investigated IN Fall River and
twenty one III the southern localities.
III order to present tile economic con-
dillon OF the cotton mill operatives in
Ii fair way, II was necessary to in
Cludc some families which in the
Judgment or the invcstigu tors and OF
tho respective communities. had at
tained a fair standard OF life. II was
also found desirable. In order that the
results might accurately represent con-
d;tions, to study some families OF the
lowest standards obtuining among cot
ton mil operatives.
The Cotton Mil People
In New England the cotton mill
9 workers were found TO be largely made
up OF representatives Of almost all
races of Southern and Eastern Europe.
Only a few native Americans were
employed, chiefly in the supervisory
and skilled positions
AZ regards the South, the rcpor,
makes the following comment relative
the mill people.
There IS perhaps 20 industrial class
of people in America that Is marked
off from the rest OF society by such
definite lines as are the cotton-mii
workers of the Southern states. They
were originally, for the most part,
small landowners, tenant farmers o.
mountain people. They are conserva-
live with the conservatism natural To
people from such surroundings The
change from the agricultural to tne
Industrial l!fe has made them less $50
lnted as individuals, but scarcely less
80 aE class. There ms. been little
ninglinR with other people. The man
ufacturers have gone TO tho farms OF
Into the hills and mountains, brought
Families together and made them into
communities. These communities.
whether In the remote country dis
iricts OF North Carolina or within tin.
limits OF city like Atlanta, Ga, re-
main almost AS Isolated from the rest
OF the world as the Individual families
we're on the scattered farms from
which they came.
There are several reasons Tor this.
liz the first place they are looked
down upon by the other people OF the
South. There is no attempt 10 make
them part or the community into
which ;he, have recently come The
old residents know little about them
ana care less. In the second place.
certain conditions OF the new industrial
life foster this isolation The whole
family-men. women and childrcn-
are engaged In the same industry in
which every other family in their
community is gagged They have
their own churches and their own
schools. in many cases furnished by
the mill owners. They live. with few
exceptions. in houses owned by the
mill company. They buy their provi.
sions. In many cases. from the COM
pany store. The cotton mill Is the
centre OF their lives, Their present
and their future are bounded by It.
In less isolated Industrial communi.
res there is always the prospect of
working into some other and higher
industrial group The vision OF the
southern cotton operative however. Is
so limited by his surroundings that
this possibility rarely occurs TO him.
In other industries the father may feel
that he can never hope for anything
moro for himself, but he can at least
plan and struggle for IL better life for
his children. Here the mill demands
the h'ldren as we'll as the father.
No Normal Families North or south.
The type OF family usually described
ns normal-father with wife aud chill
uren dependent upon him for sup
port-was not found among the typical
cotton mill families Of the North or
South. Large families are the rule,
Tho average number OF members for
the twenty one selected families in the
South was So persons. boardcrs being
included In Fall River the average
size of the fourteen famiiic; studied
vas 6.S persons. The averars: num-
Der of wage-carners per family In the
Southern localities was SO and IN
fal River, 80. In addition to the
contributions received from the earn
ings OF children In the mills. "A large
proportion of the families IN both sec
lions were forced to supplement their
incomes. during a part of the year
at least by taking bourdcrs or dodgers
Kind of Food Consumed.
a large part of the diet Of Southern
families was found TO consist of corn.
bread biscuit, fat pork and coffee No
tea was used. The usual menus of
The families are OF interest For din
nnr such combinations as por; and
peas, pork and greens. and pork and
cabbage appear. This means tina, a
small piece of salt pork FOR tic pur-
pose Of seasoning has be,n cooked
with tho vegetable. Frequently the
meat Is not eaten III :,ll. In any
case. IL does not mean :. separate dish
of meat. sweet POTATOES are used
much more frequently than Irish po-
tatoes
supper with most OF the families
Is light meal. Frequently il is
nothing more than what is left from
dinner, warmed over or eaten cold III
many other cases 1t is bread, meat tfat
back) and coffee
breakfast consists OF coffee. bread.
syrup and pork in some form.
No yeast bread is scd, Corn