K. Burda

“ While the people are kept fairly busy, their earnings are small. Here the law of supply and demand operates so far as the labour-market is concerned. We have a superabundance of labour,—consequently is cheap. We are seeking to improve matters by extending our over-sea trade and opening new markets, to that end we hope that the Exhibition at Earl’s Court will assist us to find the best of all remedies, an increased demand for the productions of our home and factory industries. ”

“ In Bohemia the work of shoe-making is largely carried on in well equipped modern factories, but there are still great numbers of people who carry out all the operations of shoe-making in their homes, and while boots and shoes that are made chiefly by machinery have many good points, the hand-made shoe holds its own in the two main essentials of good foot-wear, combined solidity and elasticity, qualities not always present in the machine made article. ”

“ The earnings of the nail maker run from 5 s to 8 s 4 d per week, that is for small ware, and from 6 s 8 d to 16 s 8 d for larger sorts. But the hours are long, 12 hours of hard work is what the nailer has to perform for but a small wage. No doubt they believe that „half a loaf is better than none“, and so in the cold season when carpenters, bricklayers and others whose trades are slack in winter, fill in their time in the nail-making industry. ”

“ What a glorious thing for our village workers employed in this business if the wig-weaving custom was again in favour, or the 18th. century fashion revived with its art and artful contrivances commonly used in dressing the hair of both ladies and gentlemen. ”

“ As in other countries, Bohemia has her factories, large establishments with power looms, spinning machinery and all the usual modern contrivances for securing rapid production. But even these modern concerns furnish the home-workers with a considerable amount of profitable employment by giving out jobs suitable for the cottage weaver and spinner. This is of course an arrangement of a mutually advantageous kind. The factory owners are not simple philanthropists, but some commercial men who act according to the principle underlying the well know saying that „business is business“. ”

“ There is no doubt, that the future prosperity of our workers depends mainly on the expansion of our export business. Their wage-earning power is very moderate. The division of labour in this industry is carried to the extreme. The workmen are paid so much per pair, and labour from early morning until late at night, a 16 hour working day for the workmen, his family, apprentices and occasionally others who are journeymen assistants, is quite common in the shoe-making districts. ”

“ Glove-making in workshops large and small, is the rule in Prague, but as a home industry it has been carried on since 1865, in Dobříš, Příbram, Březové Hory, Hostomice and Rožmitál. The leather is cut in Prague, and sent by the great manufacturers to agents in the towns, who distribute it amongst the needle-women; some of whom only do a part of the glove, others with the assistance of members of her family complete the glove in all its parts and deliver the finished article to the agent who in turn hands them to the manufacturer. ”

“ From time immemorial the glove possessed a legal significance in oriental countries in the forms, practised in the transfer of property. In feudal times the challenge to single combat was given by the casting down of the knightly glove, but this war-like „glove fashion“ has long since given place to others of a more friendly, comfortable, and frequently tender kind as when a gentleman selects such useful articles to present to a young lady as a sign of his warm regard and desire for her friendship—in other words to be „hand-and-glove“ with her. ”

“ The staple industry in the East of Bohemia is the leather in its several branches from saddlery to portemonnaies. Brushes are also made in this district.
Amongst the least profitable of occupations is the making of thread buttons, and so it is well that the labour of children can be employed in their production.
Of all our home-industries; the most common is that which is concerned with the production of embroidery and lace, this demands a high standard of natural intelligence combined with patience and good taste. ”

“ In the north district, an expert workman earns from 4 s 2 d to 5 s per week when making oxford shirtings or canvass and 4 s 2 d for towel-work; while on table linen, he can earn as much as 10 s per week.
In the district of Landskroun, the weavers work under very unfavourable conditions, hard description of material to weave and a twelve hours working day. Weaving fustian, a man frequently will only earn 2 s 1 d per week. In the production of linen linings, sack or sail-cloth even the most expert workman rarely gets more than 5 s for his week's labour. ”

“ There are no less than twenty schools in this district in which lace making is taught compulsorily, a practical proof of the government’s desire for the improvement of the people and the maitenance of a light standard of excellence in their productions. ”

“ This is especially marked in the mountainous districts where nature herself forces her children to adapt themselves to new conditions of life.
And so by force of circumstances the country-folk whose original occupation was chiefly field-labour, have taken to home-work and factory employment.
In some trades, they are occasionally affected by the vagaries of fashion, and have to meet a sudden demand for an article which enjoys but a butter-fly life. However, our people are always able to deal with such passing fashions with due promptitude. ”

“ The North East and the South East of Bohemia is where the textile branches of industry are most in evidence, weaving stuffs of fine quality, down through various grades of work and kinds of material to cheap linen and cotton goods. ”

“ The material, human hair, is supplied by dealers from various parts of Bohemia, Moravia, Lower Austria, Tyrol and Hungary, in addition to these sources of supply, a large quantity is imported from China through the agency of houses in Hamburg, Bremen and Trieste. The agents assort the hair into the several qualities recognised in the trade and deliver it to the merchant at 5 s 10 d, 16 s 8 d to 41 s 8 d per kilogram. The merchant then has the hair assorted according to length, colour, and softness, and sells it to the hair-workers at from 13 s 4 d to 51 s 2 d per kilogram. ”

“ But, most people appreciate a good glove, and it is such an article of approved excellence, that we desire to direct the attention of the glove-wearing visitors to the section of the Bohemian gloves exporters in the Austrian exhibition at Earl’s Court. ”

“ For some time past there has been an endeavour made to improve the condition of the pipe-makers by the introduction of labor-saving machines so as to free the men from the drudgery of the work, and by means of special instruction to the carvers to raise the standard of quality higher than in the past. These experiments, so far as they have gone, have been successful and so the quality of the work and the labour-conditions of the men go on improving. ”

“ The cheapness of the labour has led many energetic commercial men possessing capital, to do a great deal in the way of organising the trade of the various industries, and so the work which at one time was only produced to supply local requirements, now, thanks to the system introduced by large dealers, agents and others, the great world markets have been opened up for the products of our home industries. ”

“ Our people possess the necessary good qualities and from many years have succeeded in producing laces and embroideries that can stand comparison with the work of other lace-making countries. But the authorities, imperial, provincial and municipal, have determined that the work people shall not be permitted „to rest on their laurels“, and therefore, for insuring continuance of progressive improvement in the condition of the people and the products of their labour, schools have been established by the various authorities throughout the country for the special training of workers. ”

“ The requirements of the nursery and play-room are many and most varied in form and colour. Many of the toys not only entertain the young folks but assist in their instruction. In this field of labour the march of improvement goes as steadily on as in any concerned with the wants of the big relations of the little people. Beautiful dolls are made in plenty for future mothers. ”

“ The reduction in the numbers of those employed is easily accounted for, the trade suffers as all manual labour must do from the factory products made with labour and time-saving machinery; Hand workers find it difficult to stand such competetion. ”

“ The control of the trade is in the hands of three dealers who do a large business, and about twenty others in a smaller way in the plait trades. They supply the material to the workers and pay for the labour. They also sell the finished articles and act as agents for the merchants who do large export trade; chiefly to Germany and America. The requirements of the foreign markets absorb about two thirds of the entire production of the district, the other third represents the home trade. ”

“ The making of glass buttons is also very interesting to watch in the various stages of the work. First the operator takes a rod of glas and heats it at a glass blower’s lamp until it is in a sufficiently plastic condition to be pressed into a mould of the required size and pattern, after which they are carefully finished according to the special need of the button in hand, for there is a great variety, some kinds for gentlemen’s fancy vests and many sorts suitable for ladies costumes. ”

“ In the South of Bohemia they are noted for the manufacture of mother-of-pearl buttons, in this trade many of the home workers get employment from factories where work is given out. In the high borderland of Bohemia and of Moravia, they have to thank the wearing of hair nets for the employment of thousands of hands, let us hope the fashion will continue. ”

“ Of recent years a successful endeavour has been made to secure for the workers a better return for their labour than the visiting dealer has been accustomed to give.
This has been accomplished through the agency of an industrial company having branches throughout the district. Sales are now arranged by the company of the articles made by the country people who are now reaping the advantages of properly organized commercial effort.
WEAVING.
There is no doubt that weaving is the industry which most prevails throughout Bohemia. ”

“ We have directed attention to the systematic endeavours that we are making in Bohemia, by government and municipal schools, as well as by the help of philantropic ladies and gentlemen, to educate our people and provide them with something beyond the ordinary mental equipment, by giving them a course of sound technical instruction by means of which our workers will be able ”

“ The primary object, to improve the condition of the people by providing work for the naturally intelligent and industriously disposed peasantry, has been attained, and the success achieved is the best possible proof of the excellent qualities of Bohemian Pillow-lace. ”

“ The pay for making hair-nets varies according to the closeness of the meshes from 1—121⁄2 d to 1 s 2 d per doz. A steady expert worker can earn 3 d, 4 d and at the most 6 d for a day’s labour, the payment is not always in cash, but frequently in kind. ”

“ In making nails by hand, the „nailer“ heats the end of the nail-rod at his small forge, and brings it into the form of the spike of a nail by a few strokes of his hammer on the anvil. It is then cut to any required length on a chisel, leaving it still attached to the rod. ”

“ To plait a strand 50 yards long of three cords, an expert man must work at least three hours and only earns from 1 d to 11⁄2 d. A great drawback is the increasing price of raw material which is supplied from the south part of Bohemia where there are large fish ponds, consequently it is difficult to produce the goods to compete with the products of other countries more favourably circumstanced as to cost of material. ”

“ As an art, even in its simplest form, it demands a certain amount of manual dexterity combined with some mechanical skill; and therefore, although one of the most ancient fundamental of human industries, its practice implies some amount of knowledge and civilization. ”

“ White beads, are made in the largest quantities, and to watch the operations of the workmen is most interesting and instructive. The men sit at tables furnished with a blowing apparatus to which are fitted pipes for blowing the flame of the lamp upon the glass. By means of the pointed flame; which can be easily regulated by the operator, the glass-blower on getting his material heated to the required degree, draws the tube until he gets it to the thickness wanted for the particular bead in hand ”

“ The same kind of work is also carried on in the south and southwest of the kingdom, there; as in the other parts mentioned, the winter is the busy time for the loom, as the men resume their agricultural labour in the latter part of spring and generally throughout the summer. Even the combined earnings of summer and winter cannot amount to much, that the remuneration is not altogether satisfactory is evidenced by the large number of young men who have left the districts and emigrated in the hope of bettering their condition in foreign lands. ”