Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-10

NEW YORK CITY, Dec. THE
manufacture of ready-made clothing
has practically ceased in New YORK.
owing TO the strike of $4,000 gar
ment workers. The large garment
factories hat cluster close to the
edge of Fifth avenue in the lower
thirties are silent, and the MONDAY
| crowds which used to flood the
streets in this neighborhood are no
ticeablv thinned. Fifty-five thou
sand is a large number of people
enough to fill the Yale bowl or a
| good-sized American town.
If the strike continues for a con-
siderable length of time, and IL IL
extends to other cities, as 1t threat
ems to do, a great shortage in ready
made wear will result, and the pup
lie will ave to pay eXorpltant prices
for its spring clothes. Ihus, thosS
! of us who buy our wearing appafeI
in department stores and speclalty
shops are naturally curious 10 hho"
why a strike of such enormous pro
nortions should take place, with I'M
dasira HE for ourselves.
The garment workers quite WORK
in a body the first of November be-
cause their employers re-estabIshed
the piece work system in place o.
a straight weekly wage, Tor Wnich
the workers made a successtul Hshl
a couple of years ago.. me manu-
facturers says that q return TO tne
piecework system is necessary II
thew are to reduce the price OF ready
made clothes. The workers claim tney
will resist it to the bitter END, pc
| cause it means going back 10 Ihe
methods of the sweat-shop. ny
manufacturers have offered TO cai
in micro officials, state, 1euelaI'
and otherwise, to act as afplleiS
the matter. The workers nave re-
fused such arbitration upon ~
ground that the question Is not ar
bitrable. They claim that the piece.
work system is a settled issue; thal
tba oanufacturer are bound 10 pay
tbem a straight weekly wage py d
da6ni+e agreement which does not
| md until June, 1922, and that they
viii hold the manufacturers 10 IhS
In order to comprehend the posi-
,ion +aken by each side, it is neces-
sarv TO review the history OF tne
rmen trade. which is one long
series of such crises.
In the late nineteenth century.
readv-made wear was still a olstinS.
novelty in this country, the prouuIi
nj a very limited number OF sIlale
Factories. At that time, hoIugS ~
i~wmiarants from Russia, Poland anu
Austria started pouring into
country to escape oppression. ltal-
ians likewise began TO arrive IN huse
m Many of these Immigrants
had been tailors, seamstresses' eni-
~hroiderers and lace-makers In theli
0atiye countries. Hence, they pro-
,ided an enormous amount OF cheap
Iahor Of the very type that the young
readv-made wear industry, alreauy
In the hands of their compatriots'
was looking for.
Early Conditions.
A large labor surplus was cIeaeS'
and with II CHASTITY worklhs Son
lions. Added to iouls'
starvation wages and sinilar dou
was the highly seasonal %
tbe industry. which demanded TER
ia snurts Of speed for short pc,
riods and then left the majority OF
~ workers idle for the rest OF the
car n. through an organized pro-
go he workers were able 10 op-
t.fn better working conditions durlns
nc busv season, their gains wouI9
end when the season was over ~
they would have to make the sam"
fight the next year.
what was true of the New YORK
trade was true in slightly less degree
NJ tho other i've clothing centefs. Al
ttboueh strikes occurred with as
tressing frequency, II was not UNI
.IIglO that the workers were sum
GENTLY well organized TO make a
general strike effective. In TINS year;
the New York garment
union won its demands for hishe.
wages shorter working hours ana
better working conditions. but an
even more notable victory was won
bv the workers in the large carmen
factories OF Chicago. Here. Tor the
nrst time. the garment manutactur-
ers seemed to realize the need Tor IN
dustriaI arbitration. and a plan TOT
amicable adjustments was the re
suit.
This included a permanent arpl-
tration board, consisting of two rep
lresentatives-one of the chicago gar
ment makers union and one CHOSEN
by the manufacturers. These TWO
members were to choose. in turn. an
-, impartial chairman to preside over
their negotiations.
Later on. though. II was found
that the arbitration board could moi