Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/631

 SOME PHASES OF SWEATING SYSTEM IN CHICAGO 6\?

and general average $7.49. The Bohemian operators received $7.70, handworkers $5, pressers $10.19, and the general average was $7.63. Swedish operators received $12, handworkers $5.50, pressers $i 1.50, home finishers $3, while the general average was $8.93. The average of all the workers of all the nationalities was $7.58. It must be remembered that very few of the workers have steady work the year round, so that the actual weekly income is less than these figures indicate. Even allowing for this, one is inclined to wonder whether the figures are not stil too high, since it was not possible to get at the wages from the workers' own standpoint.

It is interesting to notice the rates of wages among the different nationalities. According to the averages made from the statements of the contractors, it would seem that the order should be Poles, Bohemians, Jews, and Swedes the last receiving the highest wages. From reading and from conversations with the factory inspectors, the idea was gathered that the order should be Poles, Jews, Bohemians, and Swedes. If the latter is the proper order, it must be that some of the contractors reported higher wages than they actually pay, or that more than wages must be taken into account. Indeed, in point of room, light, cleanliness, etc., the Bohemians are far in advance of the Jews. They live, too, in a roomier, cleaner part of the city and work on a higher grade of garments. 1 Before speaking of the more general conditions in all the shops, the results of an attempt to get at the financial position of the individual contractor may be stated. A Jewish contractor receives 20 cents for making chil- dren's coats ; for coats he now receives 80 cents where five years ago he received $1.25 and ten years ago $1.50; for cloaks and suits he receives from $i to $1.40, and another for cloaks and skirts now receives $i where a year ago he received $1.25 and five years ago $2. For knee-pants one contractor receives 8 cents a pair where for the last three years he had been receiving 9 cents. Another who received g^4 cents last year now receives

'See p. 6 1 6, Table III, "Prices," first column: a Jewish coatmaker receives 80 cents and a Bohemian $1.97. It is as a rule the higher grade of goods for which the higher prices are paid.