Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/651

 SOME PHASES OF SWEATING SYSTEM IN CHICAGO 637

successful, because of the heterogeneity of likes and dislikes, of tastes and ideals, of aims and interests among the workers. It would seem, however, that there might be unions in the different branches of the industry for each nationality. It is hopeless to think of organizing women working in their homes ; but, if the factory system is brought in, there will be no necessity for such organization. Some would think it hopeless, too, to attempt to organize the Italians, but only twenty-eight of the Italians work- ing in the garment trades were men. So small a number of workers, even if unorganized, could not affect the conditions of trade very much.

The immediate change to be desired for the tailors is the introduction of the back-shop. There are two or three reasons for such a change. In the first place, the owner of a factory does not require or expect his workers to pay rent for the room in which they work nor to own the machines they use. The factory system is supposed to have displaced domestic industry in this age in America. The present system is contrary, then, to current ideas of industrial propriety. In the next place, when paid by many isolated individuals for small scattered rooms, rent is likely to be much higher than when one larger and better room is rented by one individual. According to one estimate, the cost of rent would be reduced at least 30 per cent. Besides this waste of money, the waste of space can also be avoided by the back-shop. In the third place, if the men are working together in this way, their conditions can be much better known by the factory inspectors, and night work and overtime will be required by^ the merchant tailors with much more difficulty. Since the supply of custom tailors is not great, there would be more work to do in the busy season, and either wages must rise or the busy season must last longer. This one change in the method of work would help to overcome the seasonal difficulty among the tailors. It would take at least 25 or 30 per cent, longer to do the work if excessive hours were not allowed.

The next question that arises is : " How shall these changes be brought about ?" The means of effecting a change in so com- plex a situation as the sweating system has been seen to be