1867 workers faced dreary, long hours
A DREARY, RIGOROUS grind faced most workers in the Hamilton of 1867.
The working man spent long hours of wearisome labour for low wages, in factories that had unhealthy and sometimes dangerous working conditions.
The city had grown sharply with the boom of industry and manufacturing that began in the 1840s, after the opening of the Burlington canal brought it water transportation.
With the advent of the railway lines here early in the 1850s, the city continued to develop and many skilled workmen moved to the area.
THEN the depression struck in 1859, and by Confederation, the city was still struggling to get back on its feet. Its population was 21,485.
One publication of the day said the enterprise of city merchants and manufacturers had “enabled them to withstand general misfortune in business with a firmness and ability which few communities can boast of.”
Of Hamilton workers, it stated: “Frugality and industry are prominent characteristics of her inhabitants.”
In 1867, employees in city firms could look forward to at least a 10-hour day, six days a week. Many workers had much longer hours, some even doing heavy manual labour.
Wages were dismally low in a time when the cost of living was comparatively high. A worker was lucky to get $2 a day in most city jobs. Even men in skilled trades were paid relatively low rates.
Another factor that lowered a worker’s annual pay was the seasonal employment, particularly in the building trades.
MILLS and shops ran on short time most winters. Some operations shut down in the winter due to higher production costs, while others that operated with water power closed when it froze.
The question of long working hours was serious where women and children were employed in factories and mills. In some firms, children under 10 years of age were working 12 hours a day, sometimes around dangerous machinery and with less than an hour off for lunch.
Working conditions in many factories were dismal. The buildings had poor ventilation, poor lighting, and inadequate sanitary conditions.
There was often dangerous, moving machinery that was left unprotected, and the number of industrial accidents was high. There were, of course, no laws governing health or safety conditions in plants.
ATTEMPTS by workers to reduce the hours of work usually broke down over the matter of pay. Workers wanted reduced hours with the same pay and employers refused.
Occasionally, the employers’ objections to shortening the hours were that the workers might spend their free time in “unhealthy and unnormal pursuits.”
In some plants, fines were levied against the workers for defective work. In one shoe factory in Ontario, girls were paid one cent for every sole made, but were fined four cents for each defective one.
Children were especially victimized by the fines, many times finishing a week with a deficit. Sometimes they were even beaten or penalized.
Another factor that led to unrest was that the worker, even though he worked long hours and had little leisure time, was unable to enjoy his time off because he could afford few pleasures. The time was ripe for agitation.
A TURNING point in the city’s history came with the erection by the Great Western Railway of a steel rolling mill at the foot of Queen Street, at the bay.
The rolling mill, forerunner of the Steel Company of Canada, employed 150 men, having four rail-heating furnaces and a few other furnaces.
The city’s largest single employer was the Sanford McInnes and Company wholesale cloth- ing manufacturer, having some 400 employees in its King Street East premises.
The E. and C. Gurney Co. foundry, which started operation in 1843 on John Street between King William Street and Rebecca Street, was touted as the most expansive of its type in Canada. It had 175 employees in its four-storey plant. There were also seven other foundries in the city.
SEVENTY persons worked at the Canada Felt Hat Works, which started here in 1859. It paid average wages of $2 a day to its men and turned out sales of $200,000 a year.
The John MacPherson and Co. boot and shoe manufacturing firm had 150 employees and was considered the largest in western Canada at the time. There were several other firms in the same business here.
There were also several large cigar manufacturing houses, employing a number of workers. These paid some of the highest wages and were among the first to provide shorter working hours.
Among the smaller companies in the city were G. H. and H.A. King, whip and whip lash manufacturers; James Dallyn, hand bellows; James Doty, carriage axles; and G.D. Hawkins, hoop skirts.
There were three city firms building carriage and coach bodies, another handling carriage trimmings, and several firms making harnesses and saddles.
The Wazner and Co. sewing machine firm had a four-storey building at the corner of James Street and Vine Street. It employed some 85 persons and turned out 5,500 machines a year.
In some firms, children under 10 years of age were working 12 hours a day, sometimes around dangerous machinery.