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147
They were employed as follows Cardboard box and paper bag
making 171, ties, braces and belts 58, artificial flowers 50, tailoring
49, blouses, aprons, skirt and mantlemaking 40, millinery
26, umbrella making 26, ladies' and children's outfitting 28,
brushmaking 19, dressmaking 18, collars and shirts 13, furriers
and furliners 9, embroidery 9, bookfolders 8, burnishers 5, bootmakers
and boot repairers 7, and various other trades 47.
Some of the women had become homeworkers for the first time
when well over 50 or 60 years.
These were generally engaged in making artificial flowers—
often a buttercup or other very simple flower. One woman with
five young children, who helped in some measure, was able to
make 30 gross a week at 3d. per gross.
Some of the box makers, when work became scarce, went out as
monthly nurses. " Nursing paid better than box making, but
was more difficult to get."
Sometimes women were found doing men's work—one woman,
when her husband died, had continued for years to do the French
polishing for her husband's firm in her husband's name.
One old lady had been in the workhouse for some considerable
time, but on attaining her seventieth birthday, came out, obtained
her old age pension, entered her name in the books of the Labour
Bureau, and very soon got work to make artificial flowers.
Eighteen homeworkers were in receipt of old age pensions : 10
others had poor law relief.
Some of the homeworkers worked as charwomen, or at some
other occupation during the day-time, and did their homework at
night.
One of the outworkers was a postman, who, in the intervals
of letter-carrying, repaired clocks and watches in his bedroom.
Of the women 118 were widows, 92 were spinsters.