NEW WICKS TO OLD LAMPS.

Southern Cross, Volume 5, Issue 41, 15 January 1898, Page 7

NEW WICKS TO OLD LAMPS.

“ HUMAN BLOOD-SUCKERS.”

Some shameful admissions were made recently in an action which was brought before judge Emden at Lambeth County Court by a dressmaker named Annie Cook, living at 87, Barrett Road, Walworth, who claimed 9s 4d jointly from Mr John Jackson and Mrs Worsall, of Sharsted Street, Kennington, for work done. Mrs Cook stated that the two defendants undertook dressmaking and tailoring work for wholesale bouses in the City. She was served out with two dozen and nine blouses, which she duly made and returned. She was entitled to half-a-crown a dozen for this class of work. Judge Emden : How long does it take you to make a dozen P Plaintiff : Just two days and a half. Mr Jackson : I have some women who would do the work in less time than that. Plaintiff : So could I by working 1 late at night. My mother and I went up to the City and found out that the defendants received half-a-crown a dozen for us. Judge Emden : Half-a-crown for work occupying two days and a half ! Shocking ! Such people as the plaintiff

are those who should be looked after by Parliament, but, unfortunately, they are not.

Defendant submitted that plaintiff specially agreed to do the work at 2s per dozen. Judge Emden (sharply) : You seem to be one of those human bloodsuckers who want women like the plaintiff to do your work for next to nothing. Judgment for the plaintiff, with costs. —‘ Daily Mail,’ October 15th, 1897. .

By one o’clock in the day they had already worked six hours, because they began at seven. Six hours of almost continuous sewing seems a good day’s work ; one would not care to sit even over the most delicate embroidery for more than six hours a day, and this was not delicate stuff at all, but coarse work in coarse and heavy stuff, the stuff of which the commonest shirts are made. These girls, however, were so strong and so industrious that they were going to work for seven hours longer, that is, till daylight should cease. If it had been winter they would have worked long after daylight had ceased. At the best, therefore, these girls (three) between them could earn 17s 3d per week. Their rent was 45., so that there was left the sum of 13s 3d for everything else. That is to say, the splendid sum of sevenpence and foursevenths a piece, or very nearly sevenpence ha’penny a day remained for all their wants. —From ‘ Children of Gibeon,’ by Walter Besant.