574 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



south range from 29.1 to 38.6 cents per day and in the north from 



38.6 to 58 cents. Country mills pay much less than city mills. 



The average daily wages paid in a country mill near Milan have gradually 

 increased from 30.9 cents for men and 11.6 cents for women spinners in 1871 

 to 47.3 cents for men and 36.1 cents for women in 1907, while for weaving the 

 wages have increased from 15.4 cents to 39.6 cents in the same period. The 

 hours of labor have also been decreased from twelve to ten and a half per day. 

 The number of days worked per year is about 290. 



Some mills still run eleven hours per day. 



Two of the several Italian strikes of 1907 will be described for the 

 sake of their interesting data concerning grievances and wages. 



Scanzo (Bergamo). — On March 9 there was initiated a strike at the 

 weaving plant of Carlo Caprotti by 3 men and 198 women weavers making 31 

 cents a day, 46 girls running cop winders at 16 cents a day, 50 spoolers at 

 21 cents a day, 12 warpers at 29 cents a day, and 16 drawing-in hands at 35 

 cents a day. The weavers demanded that the fortnightly minimum require- 

 ments be reduced by one piece of cloth, the cop winders, spoolers and warpers 

 asked an increase in wages. Fourteen men remained employed until the four- 

 teenth at 39 cents a day, and 20 boys at 19 cents a day. The strikers, notwith- 

 standing they were not organized, were assisted by the Catholic Society of 

 Labor of Bergamo. They obtained a reduction of the minimum required and 

 also a concession that loom stoppage not by their fault be not counted. The 

 increase of wages will be settled by an arbitrator. The work began again on 

 March 16. 



Leghorn. — The firm Cantoni-Coats for the manufacture of sewing thread 

 gives work to 250 men at 58 cents and to 950 women at 23 cents per eleven-hour 

 day. The firm wishing to introduce in the several branches " lustraggio and 

 tavelle " (glazing and roughing), a system of labor that meant a reduction of 

 wages, the whole body of operatives on July 8 initiated a strike, asking a gen- 

 eral increase of wages. The labor union of Lucca directed the strike, the presi- 

 dent of the local chamber of commerce intervened, and the firm granted an 

 increase of 5.8 cents per day during apprenticeship and of 2.9 cents for those 

 on the roughening work, and besides made a formal promise for a general 

 increase of the rate remuneration. On July 29 work was resumed. During the 

 strike $4,053 was expended in assistance to the strikers. 



Italy, in 1902, passed a law to take effect in 1907, prohibiting the 

 night work of women and children in mills. As women and children 

 constitute two thirds to three fourths of the operatives, the law prac- 

 tically meant that the mills had to be doubled. Most of the mills were 

 prepared for the change by 1907. 



Italian operatives necessarily live cheaply. In Piedmont and Lom- 

 bardy the regular menu is : breakfast — bread and milk mush ; dinner — 

 spaghetti (potatoes and milk mixed into a porridge), polenta (corn- 

 meal mush), and wine; supper — cold spaghetti porridge, cold polenta, 

 cheese and some wine. Dinner in the middle of the day is the heartiest 

 meal, and enough spaghetti porridge and polenta are then made up to 

 last for both dinner and supper, being eaten cold for the latter meal. 

 Chestnuts are also a staple article of food, and radishes, with olive oil 

 and other vegetables, when procurable. Wine is within the reach of all. 



