The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-11

sound like record of perfection in com
parison.
Are there any women workers who are
worse off than these?' asked Mary
Macarthur. who furnished many of the
foregoing details
There are over 100000 who are incom-
parably worse off" she replied. These
latter are the great army of home work
ers. whose hours. like the places in which
they toll. are regulated by no law and VINO
work feverishly on the poorest of food
weak tea and bread is The Gay-in and
day-out diet of the most of them Tor
what is literally n mere pittance. one
penny an hour Is the sum earned by most
OF the London women and girls who ara
shirt makers and shirt finishers, who
turn out artificial flowers and make the
uppers of Womens boots and children's
shoes-and sometimes this hourly wage
falls as low as three farthings. or one
cent and a half and even lower. II is no
uncommon thing to find women of this
type who work from $50 in the morning
Until II at night-or. as the author of
recent blue book phrased it, who carry
on almost ceaseless toll during all the
hours they are awake"-and are paid
therefor less than $3.50 a week. from
which various expenses such as hire
of sewing machines. needles and thread,
amounting often to as much as so or 6p
cents, mas TO ne ueuucied. know OF
many shirt finisher who has to make
81 button holes before she earns 10 cents
and whose weekly taking averages about
VI %, and there are makers of baby linen
who receive 1ie cents a garment which
takes nearly two hours to make not to
mention women who get Is cents "A dozen
for making shirts the fabrication of each
one of which occupies at least an hour
of rapid work"
Then Miss Macarthur told of tho most
miserable occupation of all the carding
of hooks and eyes This work. IL pro-
longed,' said the secretary, 'is injurious
TO the eyes. yet women will often stick
to il all night. for children as well as
themselves may be dependent upon IT.
Nor are the children idle. However young
their little fingers can link, and neces-
sity sets them in motion Often have [
seen children of three four and five years
helping their mothers-but then we never
hear the end of child labor In Noting
ham children of five engage in lace work
ana In London they help in box making
button carding and many other trades
only few years ago a parliamentary
return demonstrated that at least 144.0Oa
chiidren In full time attendance at school
We're employed out OF school hours for
wages, and that about 10000 Of them
worked more than 20 hours week Up
wards of 5000 children work more than
hours and a few from so to 60 hours per
week -Four sisters mentioned In this
report whose ages We're 12, TO- and s,
were employed at home 90 to so hours per
week-at wood chopping.'
since the conversation above recorded
took place / have gone through the re-
port OF the select committee ON home
work. which sat a short time back and
pitiful reading most of the evidence given
before 1t makes. Fairly representative
are the statements made by seven wom-
en- and girl workers of the London slums
one blouse maker three makers of baby
linen, one aged coverer of racquet balls
(who earns penny an hour) one shirt
maker and one shirt finisher. None of