MANUFACTURING IN TOKYO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 124, 20 June 1901, Page 2

MANUFACTURING IN TOKYO.

Tiieke id (siYd a Jiipvr.ee paper) a noted muslin mauufacturing firm in tha city with a capital of OLemilion yen, employing 1850 hands. Of these only 150 being mahs, the rei's ari girls from 13 t ) 22. Th- si pcor g'r s {lave boen recruited from far away country district, tellirg in honey words a bright a'd invitirg p o peds. But onoa they come to the t'ae oiy they are di-appoiuted and worked to dtatb, Eioi. girl conces un f e'.' a contract for three yeirs. Sho ge' s a wage of 12 .-en cr 3d ia English rnoLey a d-iy. She s ays at oneof the factory's dormitories; for the fcoar.l ai d room rein Ihh to pay 7j son a day. She tius poetically only gets 4| sen or a penny ai.d a fourth ' a day or 45 s;n a month. i h this p ttance of wages she has to work 12 full hours day or night, as her fac ory is in two shif s of 25 hour-, aud • a-.ih change fr m d-y to nght is t llec ed weekly. Th re are 1500 girls who n. e kept io dorinitui ies. A fpace of etch torn. is 24ft by 24ft. Erch ro.m ha« 1 t and 2ud class mitron, who rir'i alw ys i n amicable, bu" b.st) terms with fact ry oilicia's. Unler tinse two gils thme »ra 44 or 45 girl roomers packed in d;iy atid night in two equ.il thifts, Trie dormitory system :'s a slavery sys em, and this fac'o y's pies nt. condi'ifn is cothing but a ii. Jlish pit. In wintwr all windows ore kept closed rll the time. Our r t adors may imagine how filthy and suffoca iug the air is that these poor wi-ctih d ficto y girls aro fo.c.d to breathe in their confiuemont; and one after another the'ie giils lay thtir weary limbs after long 12 hours hard woik in a dir y and low room, The factjiy o ••ner has no Cjusikrinou o i tho ue'.fire of gir's heal h at all. As tj the food girls tatw it must b:. of the coireest. sort since a day's mea.l costs only lh ser\ One pound of broad costs 7 sen "in Japxn. Thus these g'rls are fid p ac ici'ly on ono paut.d of brojd a day. Yetsha is charged to work twelve hours in every twi nty-four hours. S ch au awful stale of things has b ec existing for years in the very cipital city of the Empire! and the authority faerns entirely indifferent to the ten ible state ef affairs. We have bern trying to impiesson the public the pressing need of reform in factories whero poor helplafs girls aro employed. The ma'.ur of factory legislation is still in the ha-ds of tha iadustrial aud comine rial bureau and is Slid to be ia the process of investigation of factories as to the factory bill. We want to siy again to the authority e;.nr.vrn«d ani i h ) public at large that there mast be some sort of protection to thew girl toilers