The daily worker., 1930-04-12

10 make some more profltS 1or tne
bosses and misery and unhappiness
for myself and baby. / could not
give my baby the right attention,
leaving it II and IL hours a day.
At the age of Is months our baby
developed pneumonia and died.
Now ! am the mother of seven
children. Just such conditions
have existed since the first day /
entered the textile mills to work.
In the year 1925, fourteen years
after my first baby died, my
youngest child was borne at the
Loray Mill, Gastonia, N. c. When
my baby was five weeks old the
mill owners of that mill fired my
husband because he only had one
leg, the other being amputated
three years previous to this time
with tuberculosis of the bone. He
being the only support Of the fam
lily of seven at this time he was
forced to look for a job in other
mills. After looking two weeks
he finally found a job for himself
and me. At this time my baby
was seven weeks old.
When we moved to this job at
the Myars Mill. Gastonia, the SUI
perintendent would not let me 60 to
work until / promised him that /
would not 60 out of the mill at 9
in the morning and 8 in the evening
to nurse my baby. Knowing / had
to work to help support my family
l was forced by the capitalist class
to forsake my seven weeks old baby
and go in the mills and stand on my
feet II and 12 hours a day for $12
and $13. w..
Working 16 months at this place
l became very sick in bed for six
weeks. No one left to work but my
husband. When I had been sick
fer six weeks my husband went to
work on his job ore night. The su-
perintendent came to him and asked
him if his wife was not going to
work any more and he told the su-
perintendent that his wife would 60
back to work when she was able
to. So the superintendent went to
the desk and wrote out his time
for him. So there you can see as
long as we are willing slaves for
the bosses we are good workers,
but when we get sick we are out
of job Immediately.
Children Go to Mills.
Later in 1926 my oldest girl be-
came IA years old: Just when she
should have been in school was
forced to put her in the mills to
help me support the other small
children, my husband and my in
valid mother that ] had to take
care of in her old days.
Moving back to Loray Mill, Gas
tonia, we went to work there. To
work there / had to get up in the
morning at O'clock, get breakfast
for the family. prepare my dinner
at the same time, 60 in the mill at
6 in the morning. work until 6 in
the evening, go home get supper,
do my scrubbing, washing, ironing,
sewing at night and on Saturday
afternoon.
On this job l made $3.50 per
week and my daughter worked for
8 months. Then the automatic ma
chinery was installed, the stretch
out system put ON and about ITS
hands were laid off and my daught-
er was one of the number. Then
there was no one left to work but
myself. A family of 8 to support
on $3.50 a week, three children to
send to school-books and supplies
to buy which are very expensive in
the South. House rent $1.50 a week,
light bills IS cents a week, life in
surance $1.25 a week. In the winter
season coal $1.75 one week, the
next week, wood $2.20. All these
bills to pay and groceries for eight,
so you see l could not buy but very
little food with what / had left of
$3.50 a week.
Beal Comes South.
{c ka
South to organize a union I was
very much interested and when a
strike was called at the Loray
Mill, Gastonia, l was very glad
to help carry on the struggles Of
the workers and ever since the
strike ! have taken an active part
and helped organize the National
Textile Workers Union and the
International Labor Defense, also
the Workers International Relief
into one big organization to fight
all these capitalists-this being
the only way the working class
will ever accomplish anything.
Workers everywhere should and
must come together and carry on
the struggles Of the working class
the world over regardless of color
creed or nationality.
For instance when the strike was
called at Manville-Jenckes plant,
better known as Loray. Mill, there
was a strike at Bessemer City only
five miles away and Negro women
were transferred from Gastonia to
Bessemer City by truck loads to
break the strike.
When the strike came at the Lo-
ray Mill the national guards were
oo11oJ o,,+ ~, %Ln Loccos ~~J -.