Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/640

 626 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

These goods were bought mostly in Chicago from two promi- nent firms. One of them had in 1893 (later figures are not available) one inside shop with 37 employe's, and two outside shops with 38 employes. One of these was on the fifth floor of a tenement building which was in dreadful condition. The other firm in 1893 employed 179 workers in 22 outside shops. Some of them were in living-rooms, 5 were in basements, some probably the majority sent out work into the neighboring homes to be finished.

In one of the basement shops, where the air was almost unbreathable, 15 girls under 16 years of age were working; 8 of these, on being examined, were found to be unfit for work from spinal curvature, phthisis, irregular development, enlargement of bones, and other ailments. 1

In 1895 this firm had 91 outside shops, employing 1,111 workers. In 1898 it had one inside shop, with 86 employes, and probably many outside shops. Some of the best department stores do a country-order business not at all in keeping with their city style. They send out descriptive catalogues of gar- ments such as they would scarcely keep in their basements in Chicago. Probably the most of the goods made in inside shops are sold in the city, and the cheap garments made in contractors' shops sent to the country stores. One of these firms had in 1898 two inside shops or factories, employing 304 people, 2 but it also has outside shops. 3

The facts stated show how very dependent people in general, and especially people in the country, are upon the work of the outside shops. There is a tendency toward the steam shop, but it is far from being the only kind of shop in existence at present.

One other phase of the sweating system has yet to be stud- ied its parasitic character. 4 By this is meant that one's wages are insufficient to support the life of the worker. In order to find to what extent the garment trades are parasitic, a study was

'Illinois Factory Report, 1893, PP- 2 3. 34. 35- * Ibid., 1898, p. 106.

'During the tours of personal investigation two such outside shops were visited. See also Illinois Factory Report, 1895, P- 7-

. < BEATRICE AND SIDNEY WEBB, Industrial Democracy, Vol. II, pp. 749 sqq.