Transcript
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Begin Copy [written in pencil and underlined]
9. LIFE AND WAGES IN RUSSIA [underlined]
As bearing upon the emigration from Russia, I touch here upon the living conditions obtaining there. Naturally these have an influence upon the movement of the people, and especially upon that class that lives principally in the section called the Pale of Jewish Settlement, from which, including Poland, comes practically 85% of the immigration.
Of course this is affected to some extent by the mode of life that is imposed upon the people by surrounding conditions, which are largely regulated by the labor market, regardless of the causes that affect the price of labor.
I have no desire here to enter into any economic study of the matter, as that would serve to swell the volume of this report and detract from the main point at hand. I made some inquiries into the prices of labor in the cities I passed through and obtained also, by correspondence, -- using a blank form I prepared for the purpose,--information from about forty places scattered through the section referred to, which I have utilized here to give a fair idea of the earning power of labor in Russia, and the expense of rent and fuel. This indicates clearly enough an impelling motive to emigration, the one strong motive to a healthy, natural movement: the desire to better one's condition, and obtain for the young adequate educational opportunities. Aside of this the vast emigration from Russia, as said before herein, is natural only insofar that it is forced by the present condition of unrest, and the influence of recent pogroms.
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[table]
Wages & Rents in Russia, -Roubles
[exchange rate in upper left corner] 1R = 51¢
column headings:
City, Population, Tailor (week/year), Carpenter (week/year), Jr. Workn’n (week/year) [year column blank], Day Labor (day/year), Ladies Tailor (week/year), Seamstress (week/year), Childr’n Week, Servant’s Month, Rent
[missing values are left blank]
Warsaw; 800,000; (18/800); (15/700); (5-10); (1./250); (8./400); (5/200); 1.; 8,; 140,
Lodz; 350,000; (15/); (15/); (8-10); (1/250); (20.-/1000); (12/450); 2 1/2; 8,; 60,
Minsk; 102,000; (8/290); (7/275); (4-5); (.50/125); (4./120); (8/80); B.W.; 7;
Bialystock; 80,000; (3/); (10/260); (4.-9); (.85/); (5/); (4/); 3; 8; 70
Simperapol; 70,000; (15/); (15/); (); (.75/); (6/); (4/); ; 10; 150
Libau; 90,000; (/); (/); (6-9); (1.20/250); (5./200); (4/200); [value crossed out] ; 10; 72
Berditehef; 75,000; (15/700); (8/400); (6-8); (1./300); (13/600); (6/250); .60; 6; 100
Nikolaieff; 110,000; (18/); (15/); (3-4); (1./300); (9/); (6/); 1.-; 10; 120
Elizabetgrad; 70,000; (25/); (20/); (3-10); (1./); (25/600); (/300); 1.50; 12; 120
Kowno; 75,000; (15/650); (15/650); (7-10); (1./250); (25/1000); (7/); B&L; 8; 60
Rostov of Don; 160,000; (30/); (25/); (4-10); (/); (30/); (20/); none; 16,; 100
Kishinef; 130,000; (10/400); (7/300); (2-4); (1.00/150); (15/500); (4/150); .80; 8; 100
Wilna; 160,000; (12/); (5/); (2-3); (.7/200); (17/); (5/); 1.50; 8.; 60.
Nieshin; 35,000; (12/600); (/none); (6); (.60/180); (10/400); (6/250); none; 6; 75
Grodno; 43,000; (15/700); (10/450); (3-5); (1.-/250); (6/250); (4/175); ; 7;
Kamenetzpod; 36,000; (8/300); (7/190); (2-3); (.60/130); (5 ½/240); (4/); 1.; 8; 75
Akkerman; 42,000; (12/500); (10/450); (5-6); (.80/180); (12/600); (10/350); 2.; 12; 40
Plotzk; 30,000; (12/500); (12/500); (7); (1.50/300); (2/80); (1.50/75); 1.; 6; 120
Mitau; 40,000; (15/500); (/none); (6-8); (.70/); (8/); (6/200); 0; 8; 60
Proskurov; 26,000; (15/); (/); (4-5); (.50/); (4 ½ /); (2.-/); ; 7; 100
Bachmut; 20,000; (20/); (12/600); (4-7); (.70/); (15/700); (7 ½ /); 1 ½ ; 12; 72
Soroki; 18,000; (6/300); (10/500); (4-6); (.60/60.); (-/); (/); 1.20; ; 60
Slutzk; 15,418; (15/500); (10/400); (none); (.50/120.); (10/400); (3/150); 2.00; 8; 50
Mlaiva; 15,000; (12/600); (12/600); (6); (1.20/325); (5/250); (3/130); B.L.C.; 7; 50
[Illegible]; 16,000; (9/300); (8/250); (5-6); (.80/170); (7/200); (4/140); 1.25.; 8; 100
Bogopol; 6,000; (12/400); (10/300); (4-7); (1./250); (18/500); (10./400); ; 8; 75
Tomaschew; 9500; (7/350); (9/450); (3-6); (1.50/); (/); (1.80/-); 35-90; 6; 50
Beresino; 7,000; (7/300); (5/250); (3-4); (.60/150); (5/250); (5./200); none; 4; 50
Igumen; 6,000; (5/250); (6/300); (2); (.50/150); (8/400); (4/200); k&c; 6; 50
Zabeln; ; (15/600); (none/); (3); (none/); (5/); (3.-/120); none; 4; 50
Spidel; 2,500; (10/400); (8/300); (4); (/); (/); (2/); ; 8-; 50
Bytrimanzu; 1,400; (5/); (4/); (1.50 -2.-); (/); (/100); (/); ; 4-; -
Lukashewka; 7,520; (10/500); (6/300); (none); (.50/120); (3/150.-); (2.50/120.-); none; 4.80; 40
Jusefpol; 4,000; (12/600); (10/500); (5-6); (1.-/300); (5/250.); (3.-/120.-); .30; 4.-; 50
Nowopolkawka; 2,479; (8/); (7 ½ /); (); (.80/120); (/); (/); none; 10.; 70
Sosnowitz; ; (7.50/); (5/); (2-3); (.90/); (/); (/); ; 4; 60
Zwanietz; 4,288; (10.-/400); (5/250); (2-3); (.70/200); (3/120); (2/75); [value crossed out]; 6; 50
Lukomol; 2,000; (4 ½ /200); (5/200); (1-1 ½); (.50/100); (5/200); (2/100); ; 4;
Rodomisel; ;(15.- /720); (15/720); (7-8); (1.-/200); (5/120); (5/120); 1.20; 4; 120
Monestirschina; 3,000; (4.- /); (5/); (); (.50/100); (3/125); (3./125); ; 4; 50
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Here are given in tabular form the earnings of various trades and occupations, weekly and yearly, the latter making allowance for slack time which varies very largely indeed, in different localities. Thus for instance in Kalarash, Bessarabia, the carpenters, who are fine mechanics, earn 50 roubles a week ($25), but under normal conditions there is work for them but three months in the whole year, so that the carpenter's whole year's earnings are not more than the Warsaw carpenter's, who gets 15 roubles a week, but has work for all but five or six weeks in the year.
photostat [written in pencil]
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I have given here the highest figures for all columns, where more than one figure was given. The places represent Southern Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Little Russia and White Russia, and the persons who have furnished the figures are in every case in close touch with the people who are breadwinners. A deeper study of these figures and others that I have here omitted would be interesting no doubt, but for our purpose it is sufficient to observe simply the earnings in those occupations that are most affected by the individuals comprising the immigration from Russia. The best paying is the tailoring, which yields from 300 to 800 roubles a year. The carpenter earns 250 to 700 roubles, the helpers of both trades 2 to 10 roubles. The women earn at sewing from 100 to 450 roubles, and at dressmaking 150 to 1,000 roubles, the top notch for both being at Lodz. In that city labor is better paid than anywhere else in Russia. By a series of strikes the laboring people in all trades have succeeded in getting the very best wages. In fact, some manufacturers there maintain that the result has been to put up the cost to a figure that forbids competition with Germany, whose workmen are more dependable and turn out a larger day's task. The cost of rent runs from 40 to 150 roubles a year, to which should be added fuel, which is about 40% of the rent. The average cost of a room is 40 roubles. I am speaking of course of that element whence comes the large bulk of immigration.
One room is usually the home for a workingman, and there the family lives, eats and sleeps. I have seen one room, not above ten feet square, house 8 souls, and they
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looked healthy for all that. In some cases I have seen two children asleep on the top of the stove. The stove in Russia is the most substantial thing in the house. It is built of masonry, and runs from 2 by 3 feet, 6 feet high, to 4 by 8 feet and larger. Later on is told of a family of six persons that lived on top of a stove in Wilna. These stoves are heated up once a week, for the Sabbath-baking and cooking, and sometimes in the middle of the week also. They retain the heat for a long time.
It is no wonder that the servant girl is anxious to reach the United States when her monthly wage runs from 4 to 10 roubles a month, those getting more being the exception; no nights out, and treated little better than a slave. Nor is it to be wondered at that the laborer, whose annual earnings are from 100 to 300 roubles, is anxious to better his condition. I verily believe that the great bulk of the working people average less than three roubles a week, and deem themselves fortunate with that, even though 40 roubles a year goes off for the rent.
I shall never forget a scene in Wilna. The room 6 by 8 feet, was 10 feet below the street level, and whenever it rained the water poured in-- for there is no sewerage system in any city of Russia save Warsaw, so far as I could ascertain. Here lived a shoemaker, his wife and two children. I thought the wife said her husband earned three roubles a week on the average. "What!" cried she, "3 roubles? No, 2 roubles. How happy would we be if he earned three". Never in my life did half a dollar seem so large to me.
The earnings of young women, girls and boys are of course much smaller than that. Thus in one candy factory
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and a couple of paper and envelope factories in Wilna, the only industries in the place to speak of, young women who are skilled earn 8 roubles a month, while girls get only 5 roubles. In Bialystock the women employed in a tobacco factory earn 4 roubles a week and girls and boys 2 to 3 roubles, while those in the paper box factory connected therewith earn but 1.80 roubles a week. In the cigar rolling branch the men get 6 to 8 roubles, and the girls 2 roubles.
In Lodz in the Poznanski mill, having 7,000 operatives, the girls who tend 132 spindles each, preparing the wool for carding, earn 4 roubles weekly; the girls in the spooling yard, 4 to 5 roubles. The men earn fair wages, from 8 to 12 roubles. But what is here given is in every case the gross wage, for in this mill there is deducted from each one's pay 8 to 13 per cent for the master of the department, whose earnings, thus obtained, are from 16 to 23 roubles, from which he again must permit to be deducted a certain percentage, which constitutes, in addition to the 16 roubles paid by the firm, the earnings of the master foremen, of whom there are seven, who have under them 4337 looms and 2800 weavers.
The best paying trades in this part of Russia are weaving and leather-working. The former is largely a home-industry, and the workers, whether at home or in the mills, earn from 8 to 12 roubles, with steady employment.
Need we wonder that these people are so anxious to get away from their homes?
It is safe to say that of the people included in the various categories foregoing, eighty per cent are potential
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American citizens, nothing standing between them and a residence in the United States but the money for their passage and passports. When these people come to Ellis Island with no money, we are inclined to ask them "Why do you come to the United States without any money?" but one who has seen the people in their homes will not consider as paupers those who come here from Russia with no means, or indeed who are altogether indebted for their getting here to friends or acquaintances who have advanced them their needful money.
The breadwinners I have till now referred to are the denizens of the towns and cities. I could not go into the country to see the Lithuanian and Polish elements nor into Finland's interior, to come close to the three peoples from which come over one-third of the immigration from Russia. For one thing and mainly because of lack of authority to engage interpreters. I had wished to do so in order to disclose at first hand how far the influences sending them forth were intertwined with those at bottom of the Jewish migration, and I feel that my report must inadequately present the main subject of my inquiry because of this lack.
I was intensely interested int he miserably poor of the towns and cities I visited and obtained much information that would form an interesting albeit a heartbreaking chapter of life in Russia, but forbear writing it to save space, inasmuch as from this element comes so small a percentage of the immigrants that it may be fairly looked upon as a negligible quantity.
But I cannot resist the temptation to give one illus-
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tration of a “home” I saw in Wilna. It will serve to show how the poor, exist, I will not say live, and how the increased demand for rooms, caused by the forced crowding in of the people to the cities increases rental, and for- ces people to crowd together in order to mutually reduce the cost of rooming.
[hand drawn image of a house, with labels:]
- about 20 ft [width of house]
- Oven 4 ft high, 6 persons live here
- Dotted lines show room below, under oven, entered through opening under stove. Occupied by woman paying 30 kopeks weekly. No daylight
- Lessee 8 in fam. Husband shoemaker earns 60 to 150 kopeks weekly, (30 ko 75 ¢)
- floor 12 feet below street level
- family of 3
- stair
- vaulted openings for windows, 18 feet above floor to be above street.
- about 14 ft [depth of house]
- For lack of 2 tenants, used temporarily as wood cellar. Underneath room
photostat [written in pencil]
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