of spindles to be tended was reduced from 75 to 50, and the machines were
run at a lower rate of speed. The task was changed accordingly so that
the worker's wage, simply with the bonus, was as it had been before. But
she was unable to overrun the task as far as she had, formerly. By the
workers' constant attention, the work now improved in quality, but the
limit of quantity, was, of course, lower. The wages with the bonus
dropped back to a smaller excess, or $1.47 a day. This was, of course,
disheartening, though Lucia said it was better, she was so much less
tired by the work than she had been before. But the work is still
undoubtedly very wearying and difficult. The spoolers still give
incessant attention to their work, still do their best, and yet make by
close application far less than they had grown accustomed to expect
whether justly or unjustly.[57] The task is now 12 doffs a day--each doff
requiring a change of 208 bobbins. So that in changing bobbins alone the
girls have to stoop down over 2000 times a day, without counting all the
stooping for knot tying, which the forewoman said would about equal the
labor of bending and working at bobbin changing. She had talked with the
management about having the frames raised, so as to eliminate this
exhausting process of stooping to work for the spoolers. This change had
been made in two machines and will doubtless be extended.[58]

At the further twisting and plying of the cotton, the processes
succeeding the spooling, men are employed. From these the yarn goes to
the winding room in the newer building, where better air and temperature
are possible than in the carding and spinning rooms. The winding room is
large and light. At one side stand the warps, very tall and interesting
to see, with their lines of delicate filament and high tiers of bobbins.
In the winding room girls are engaged at machines which wind the yarn
from spools back to bobbins for filling in the looms and also for the
warp.

In winding the filling bobbins the girls watch the thread from eighteen
bobbins, and replace and stop bobbins by pressing on foot pedals. The
worker had made from $7 to $7.50 a week before a time-study was taken and
the task increased. She can now make from $8 to $10.50 a week. The work
is lightened for her by the fact that whereas she formerly placed the
bobbins on the warp, doffers now do this for her. But the increased
stamping of the pedals made necessary by the larger task