stations were opened, and the committee did not assume responsibility for general relief but only for giving employ ment to able-bodied men and women, chiefly the former. After consultation with the street-cleaning commissioner, who stated that the appropriation allowed to his depart ment was not sufficient to enable him to apply the " block system " of cleaning to the streets in the tenement-house districts of the East Side, it was decided to put men at street sweeping at one dollar a day for seven hours' work. The commissioner promised that no man should be laid off from the regular street-cleaning force because of this extra supply of sweepers, and also agreed to have all street sweepings removed by city carts. The funds of the com mittee were, therefore, devoted to the payment of wages, no other expense falling upon the committee except for brooms and for supervision.
At the maximum the number of men employed in street cleaning was 887, including 25 foremen, seven clerks, and one superintendent. Between November 30, 1893, and April 30, 1894, the committee paid at the rate of one dollar a day for 57,0491 days' work. At least 3290 different men were employed in this period. Each man had a certain section to keep clean — in some cases one block, in others two — and he was required to do his work as thoroughly and faithfully as if he had been working for a private employer. Each of the seven districts was subdivided into three or four sections with a foreman for each section. Each foreman superintended about thirty men and made from five to seven rounds per day.
From a census of the previous occupations of 681 men who were working on the streets on February 21, it was found that nearly every trade was represented. Only one fourth of the men were. unskilled laborers who would, in ordinary times, do outdoor work. The rest were men with special trades.
A second form of employment was necessary to relieve the distress among those usually employed in the clothing trades. In order to meet their needs four tailor shops were opened, the product at first being used for the relief of the cyclone sufferers of South Carolina, partly in order to avoid any possible interference with what remained of the regular tailoring trade. Sixty to seventy cents a day was paid in these shops for eight hours' work, and, in addition, a lunch of coffee and bread was supplied at the noon hour. The first shop was opened on December 4, with four men, and it was filled to its utmost capacity before December 20. Between the latter date and January 12, three addi
tional shops were opened, and at the maximum 220 tailors and about thirty women were employed. Later the pay was raised to four dollars for five days' work, the shops being closed on Saturday as well as Sunday for the reason that nearly all of the beneficiaries were Hebrews. Tickets were distributed by eleven of the unions of the clothing trade, eleven societies and churches, and a few individuals. In all about 1000 individuals were given work, none for less than one week, many for six or eight weeks.
Of the 708 men and 94 women employed after January 25, there were sixty-two who were single and without de pendents, these being discharged at the expiration of one week. The remainder had 2775 dependents to support besides earning their own living. It was found that among those who were employed in the tailor shops 162 had been more than ten years in America, 234 more than five and less than ten years, and only fifty-four one year or less. At the time when they began to work in the shops of the committee, 166 had been out of work more than nine months, 382 more than six months and less than nine, and only eight so short a time as one month. Among them were eleven men whose regular wages had been $20 a week, 239 who usually received from $12 to $18 a week, and only seventy-four whose regular wages were five dollars or less.
Besides the work done in the tailor shops, sewing and knitting, and mat and quilt making was furnished to women in their homes. Four hundred and thirty-three individ uals were employed in this manner, an average of 122 being at work for a period of sixteen weeks. As in the case of the shops, this work was given only to holders of tickets, and the tickets were distributed by twenty-nine churches, seven societies, and thirteen individuals.
After February 8 shipments to Charleston were discon tinued and the product of the shops and of the women's sewing was given to the various societies and churches for distribution. Thirty-three hundred and eighty-five gar ments — men's and boys' clothing—had been sent to the South, and in the three months from February to April in clusive 13,261 articles, including men's and boys' overcoats, suits and shirts, girls' and women's dresses, etc., were sent to thirty-seven different churches and societies. Twenty two tailors were employed for three weeks after the shops were closed to finish material already cut.