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the476 [MISCELLANEOUSnote that coolies ill the lumber companies of the districtearn from forty to fifty cents a day.All mills run night and day using twoLabor f shifts< The lenS th 0> da^ varies fromtwelve to fourteen hours. Most of the peoplehave to work twelve hours, there being two forms ofoccupation at which they must work for the longer period.But when one thinks of the distance that these folk musttravel to and from their work, spending from a half hour totwo hours on the way, and in some cases over two hours,one begins to realize that the day is actually from thirteento seventeen hours long. And this in most cases for sevendays a week. The figures show that the people work six orseven days a week, but in practice they work about ten days,resting when the machinery demands it. The figures arebad enough for the men, but most of these workers are thewomen of the community, the future mothers, and manyare mere children. Though certain firms are desirous ofcutting down the working day and of eliminating the nightwork, conditions of competition with those who are unwilling to do so, make these changes impossible for about thirtyyears more, unless some manufacturers will have thecourage to demonstrate the importance of the worker in spiteof severe conditions of competition.*In the mills installed with modern mach in-Physical er an(j mos () them areConditions J protection of,, l .,the workers from the gears is complete. But inmost cases there is no protection from belts. There is noattempt to educate the workers with regard to safety;western experience has shown that this is a desideratum.In some occupations, such as fly-frame tending, womenand children have opportunity to rest ;seats along the sidesof the rooms show hard usage in every case. It is significantthat the workers freely sit even when the manager is goingthrough the mill. Other forms, like weaving, require sitting.But some, like sorting or seeding the cotton, afford nochance for sitting.*Compare Clark, "Cotton (ioods in Japan." Bulletin of theU. 8. Department of Commerce.

;Th<>SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS 477With but a few exceptions the roof construction is suchas to give the best lighting by day; by night, electricity isused. The newest mill in the district, belonging to anEnglish firm, is constructed of modern re-enforced concrete,fireproof, and with glass sides to the work rooms. Whilein certain mills there are systems of forced ventilation, inno case* is there an adequate system for the removal ofdust. However, most of the women and children workunder conditions reasonably free from dust. The fact thatin certain mills women have been working since they were1small girls, have Carried, and are still working, is of somesignificance. It is possible to say, with the exception ofcertain forms of labour really very dusty and other formswhich require conditions of moisture and heat for the bestworking of the thread, that the sanitation within the millsis far and away better than the people know in theirhomes. But these conditions of dust and dampness mustbe changed by proper methods or the workers succumb.Figures on the death-rate of such workers are not obtainable. One factory supplies filtered air at the propertemperature, which, while comfortable in winter, must behard to endure in summer.After having made an investigation of the5? or jL homes ofConditionsmanyJof the workers in this district,.,it has become quite apparent that the workersare, even under certain very vicious conditions, better off inthe mills than in their homes. The danger is not a physicalone but a moral one. Instead of the dampness of the mudfloor and the walls, is the dampness of the work room andthe dust. But the filth and squalor are gone. The largerdanger is the losing of the restraint of the home and theloosening of the bonds of conventionality. The rural familyis the most stable. It has secured the completest control ofits members. But the women are in industry to stay.What changes industry effects in this type of family will bemost significant.An attempt to determine the actual statusof these changes is being made but it is too soon yet to beable to make reliable statements.reader .should remember that the survey is not yet completed.

the476 [MISCELLANEOUSnote that coolies ill the lumber companies of the districtearn from forty to fifty cents a day.All mills run night and day using twoLabor f shifts< The lenS th 0> da^ varies fromtwelve to fourteen hours. Most of the peoplehave to work twelve hours, there being two forms ofoccupation at which they must work for the longer period.But when one thinks of the distance that these folk musttravel to and from their work, spending from a half hour totwo hours on the way, and in some cases over two hours,one begins to realize that the day is actually from thirteento seventeen hours long. And this in most cases for sevendays a week. The figures show that the people work six orseven days a week, but in practice they work about ten days,resting when the machinery demands it. The figures arebad enough for the men, but most of these workers are thewomen of the community, the future mothers, and manyare mere children. Though certain firms are desirous ofcutting down the working day and of eliminating the nightwork, conditions of competition with those who are unwilling to do so, make these changes impossible for about thirtyyears more, unless some manufacturers will have thecourage to demonstrate the importance of the worker in spiteof severe conditions of competition.*In the mills installed with modern mach in-Physical er an(j mos () them areConditions J protection of,, l .,the workers from the gears is complete. But inmost cases there is no protection from belts. There is noattempt to educate the workers with regard to safety;western experience has shown that this is a desideratum.In some occupations, such as fly-frame tending, womenand children have opportunity to rest ;seats along the sidesof the rooms show hard usage in every case. It is significantthat the workers freely sit even when the manager is goingthrough the mill. Other forms, like weaving, require sitting.But some, like sorting or seeding the cotton, afford nochance for sitting.*Compare Clark, "Cotton (ioods in Japan." Bulletin of theU. 8. Department of Commerce.

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