42 BRAZILIAN COTTON 



In some large mills the operatives have tlieir own sick clubs, the 

 monthly subscription in one case was 2S000 and the benefit 70 $000 

 per month. 



Welfare Work. — Every mill of importance in Brazil under- 

 takes a good deal of welfare work, and as labour is plentiful one cannot 

 but admire the spirit in which it is undertaken. There is no mercenary 

 purpose underlying this work — of this I am certain. There is a club, 

 school, football field, tennis ground, etc., attached to almost every 

 mill. A first-aid room is to be found and in many establishments it 

 is the custom for a qualified doctor to be in attendance at the mill 

 during one hour each day. Workmen's dwellings are provided at a 

 low cost. 



The most elaborate system of Welfare Work* which has come to 

 my notice is that carried out by Dr. Jorge Street of Sao Paulo ; it 

 excels by far any of the welfare institutions I have seen in the U.S.A. 

 Mr. Street told me that he was considered a " Bolshevik " by his 

 confreres, but he maintains that all he does for the benefit of 

 his workpeople is not of a charitable nature, on the contrary he insists 

 that it is the share due to them under his form of co-partnership. 

 Rather than give his workpeople during good years higher ivages 

 which would be frittered away in useless things, he lets them have 

 the corresponding profit by imj^roved methods of living. 



The following are the main features of Mr. Street's social work 

 for his operatives : 



The model village where his cotton mill operatives live is a suburb 

 of itself, built entirely on modern lines. The latest additions have 

 little front gardens, every house has electric fight and water. The 

 rent paid is 3| per cent, on the cost of construction. 



There is a " creche " containing 62 cots, each one having a linen and 

 a crockery locker. Each piece of linen is carefully numbered to corres- 

 pond with the number of the cot. The babies are left there when 

 3 weeks old and are cared for by qualified nurses. Each room in the 

 creche has a pasteurized store of milk. Bedding, floors, etc., are spot- 

 lessly clean. Special rooms are provided for nursing mothers. 

 There is no reduction of wages for the time the mothers spend in 

 feeding their babies. In this creche the children remain until they 

 reach the age of four. From that time until they are seven years 

 they attend the "Kindergarten," which consists of a number of play- 

 rooms and gravel playgrounds, properly roofed. Cleanliness is one 

 of the principal items taught to these young children. There is an 

 ample supply of wash basins with hot and cold water. Each child has 

 a handkerchief attached to his clothing. There are a set of well 

 ventilated classrooms, the children sit at low tables, of which the 

 tops are divided into squares for making designs for weaving. The 

 children learn the use of colours with blocks which they fit in the 

 squares and accustom themselves from early age to designs of 

 woven patterns. All kinds of ordinary kindergarten lessons are 

 taught. Besides the classrooms there are bedrooms provided, for 

 the younger children must have two hours sleep during the day. 



* In view of the discussion at the last International Cotton Congress, I give 

 this information in some detail. 



