The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-10

there have been increases.
Average wage.-30 cents per day.
(Note-The Chinese Shen Hsin mill
gives better pay--about 40 cents; at
the Tai An (Japanese) the pay is
lower.)
From the information which | re-
ceived from various trade union Of
ficials, it appears that 30 cents is
about the average daily wage of the
ordinary adult cotton mill hand in
China, though few of the skilled
men in the power house may earn
considerably more up to 50 lie. 4s.)
per day.
Hours--Two shifts of u hours
each, Seven days per week.
Holidays..--The m chinery is
stopped for one day every ten days,
on the LIST, 18th, and 21st of the
month for general cleaning.
/ visited several cotton mills at
Hanllow and Wuchang. One was the
Tsen Huan mill, which started in
1921 1t employs 1900 workers, of
whom LOCO are women and 1000
little children. Some of those whom
| saw were certainly not more than
eight years old
The are 24,7O0 spindles. One spin
die produces ID. of 20 count. The
product of the mill is 70 bales per
day, a bale weighing 430 lbs. The raw
cotton comes from about 200 mills
nm courtYxr
There are no meal hours I saw
the men, women and children eating
from their rice bowls as they tended
their machines. The machinery was
supplied by Asa Lees of Oldham.
also visited the Hanllow Dee zee
Spinning and Weaving Co.'s mill at
Wuchang. This mill was erected in
1915. There were $4,000 spindles and
1000 looms. This mill employs 5000
workers, of whom about one-third are
children. AS elsewhere, the hours of
labor are two shifts of ~ hours. The
Chinese employer said that this was
not too long. They say that the
workers are very lazy and slack about
and so on. Perhaps they mistake eff
feet for cause.
The Tsen Huan mill, which was
only erected about five years ago,
compared very favorably with any
Lancashire mill as regards lighting,
ventilation, etc. The Hankow Dee
zee mill. built earlier, was much
darker. did see some rather prim-
tive washing arrangements, and the
lavatory accommodation appeared to
be insufficient. In these reports the
mill compared very unfavorably with
the Japanese mill which l SUISSE
quently visited.
At every factory / noticed women
bringing in their babies. followed
one and finally ran the baby to earth
by the machine which its mother was
tending of 800 looms. Amid the
terrific din of the shuttles, in an at
mosphere full of cotton dust, the
mother was sucking the child. 1t
was apparently brought in by some
one else by whom, doubtless, it would
be removed, when fed. There was a
notice at the entrance to the factory
to the effect that babies must not be
brought in. ! did not see very many,
but this was because most of the
women were quite young girls.
There is no fencing Of machinery.
If the workers are killed, the owner
may give the family 20 to 30 dollars
Mex compensation.
Cotton Packing.
Cotton packing, as well as wool and
hide packing, appears to be almost
entirely in the hands of eight British
firms, who operate hydraulic cotton,
wool and hide packing presses at
Tientsin, Hankow and Shanghai.
A representative of the workers in
Hankow informed me that wages
were % to &c cents for a twelve-hour
day. After some strikes the ages had
been raised from 26 to 80 cents. The
workers live in the outskirts of the
town in poor shelters. If accidents
occur they must take care of them
selves.
Silk Filatures.
AS has been said, the manufacture
of silk is still to large extent a pea
SAINT industry. The factory industry
is established at Shanghai, Canton,
Hankow, Chefoo, Soochow, Hang
chow, Chungking and Chingkiang
where there are steam filatures.
There are also silk-weaving factories,
but not so many as failures, the fac
tory-made silk thread often being
woven in the home.
There are said to be 100000 silk
workers in factories In China, of
whom 50 per cent. are women and
children.
In Shanghai was able to visit a
number of silk filatures. Nearly all
the workers were women and young
children, men only being employed in
the power house, and as foremen in
the sheds, where they may be seen
carrying a small cane for the correc-
tion of the smaller children.
Apart from the sorting, classifying,