they "had something to say" about the course of events. This was the enfranchisement of the Chinese masses, the greatest product of the revolution so far.
The trade unions of Nananfu had about 2,500 members in the city, and 13,000 in the district. The special industry of the town is bamboo and timber, the next in importance being tailoring. The bamboo and timber workers, engaged in felling and transporting raw materials, not in fabricating commodities, work unlimited hours on piece work. They earn $1 per day on the average; we could not get a satisfactory explanation of why these workers can get so much more than the average wage of their district, more than twice as much as the general wage. Tailors, formerly paid 25 cents per day for 14 hours, have cut the hours to 10 and raised the wage to 28 cents, with increase of food. The shop clerks seemed to have made the greatest proportionate gains; formerly, apprentices began without wages, and worked up to a maximum of $60 per year; after several strikes, they now begin apprentices at $10 first year, $20 second year, $30 third year. When we arrived, 20% of the clerks were obtaining more than $100 per year, 50% received from $60 to $100, while only 30% were getting less than $60, which was formerly the maximum. Following are brief tabular notes on other trades in Nananfu:
Carpenters, formerly 25 cents, 14 hours; now, 35 cents, 10 hours.
Confectionery workers, minimum $80 year, maximum $150 year; hours, daybreak to dark.
Wine and rice shops, 30 cents per day, hours unlimited.
Cooks, $2 to $8 per month; hours, 14 to 15.
Jewelry workers, 25 to 30 cents per day, with allowance for food; formerly 10, now 15 cents per day; hours, 14 per day.
Drug clerks, 60 cents per day and food; 13 hours.
Porters, young, able-bodied, 40 to 50 cents; old, 20 cents per day; 10 hours (formerly 14 hours).
Pasing several other cities, not essentially different from Nananfu, we come to the city of Kianfu. This was the first city we had found, where the shop clerks were
50
