The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-06-19
FROM CALIFORNIA.
The JOurBeYmen ShiPwTIghts of San
FTancIs co. 10 the Trade 10 the Eastern
States and Eur oe.


States and Eur oe.
san FRANcTsCo, May 2Uth, 1869.
Brothers. We take this method Of address
ing you on the subject Of employment in
California. Our purpose IL not selfish
one, but dictated By humanity. You have
undoubtedly read the stories emanating
from the Cal!f-rui4 labor Exchange which
il, in fact, but the moath- piece OF toe op-
pressirs Of lah0r-tbe class Of society that
opposes the Fisbt-H0ur System, the Me-
chanics' Lien Law. and all other laws tend
iug w ameiiorate the condition oi the toll
er excepting, perhaps. the law tha, estab-
hrhe- an aim-house, 70 which the old man,
after long, weary years Of toll, may retire
% die. The above named "ETchInge,' and
kindred institutions, have been cI culating
al over the world. not excepting China, the
gr0sse-t exaggrratiOns 10 connection With
The sut iect 0f labor on the Pacific Coast.
But our purpose is TO speak more particular
I'm 70 ship caruenters and caulkers The
stories Of the Pacific Mail Steam-hip Com
pany, tod about two Years ago. that car
penter~ srd can ikers we're paid rom SIX 90
0 teen dollars per day. are exploded; there
are nunr s1 foolish a. 90 be deceived by
them now; nor H. ID believed that any
of The cargeu ter- Of toe Atlantic Cities ~ 4
place much dependence ID the statements
made by the runners of that monster mon
ar0ly. Lass thaR tw0 years ago, And Al thr
tine tbat I1e Mail Company E4s, under "a
bo- a eOntracf, signed By tne oth e.- u the
q mgany iu M York city, persuading sar.
p-ntef- an caulAers % cUme t1 Cauflrnia,
there vas d superabundaOce OF tDlJ class nt
labor alreldv here. over 0ne-Ihird W th-
SD cars eatrr-, au1 fully ane-uat ot the
2uJ cauk-rs Lere, hndiug employment
scarcely BAR the time aud nrt hftq VT ri h-
er Cll-, being employed thrae-f0Jrtbs "A tne
ume Tle agent VT ,bH company admitted
in q confer ence aitn delegation from toese
trades, tl4t ws 1Ii nJt get tDJ much pay
eOurI5erng -h- uu-JeadIuess Oi employ ymeu',
and lhai ae had y. itten q tbs company .E
n N D luder " mis4p4releuslOn Jt tle iau--;
ibar II 1ur circumstances mad been p ope y
fepra-euted. MI raI1-r, bad they u0t been
grossly misTpur4-ruted, be v luId never nav
advised lne company % atiem rt the la-a
breaking . Ign society rules, hv f1rc ug meu
Iut1 4 ruinOus 1mYeitiHn t5r Cd to- ial.y
empiogmelt. Y-t It i- ~ bard tor -n1,e
VI b0 assume t1 Je mas er-s tl reeele IRON a
ca Sc one taEea, hISeeer cra-l &C may o.
ID it- operation ln -la re-l-ti-s- poJr, thi.
the f,r- IL -till pers-verei in, 10 'd5ld
lh- ma ket" with -oip -arp nters ani
caula-r,-Nith what success we propose
q show.
nm Os8ber of 1861. 10 clrDenters and 1I
sauia-r- arrived Iu So Z aneisC1, ugdst
contract w4t1 Jh- Il 4esde Mui ald J-h-r
steamship clm la ll1-, TN snicu they we're
Eurraatr-d one tBIng, aud Jhtt conditional
-t14 Lha7 WJu.I prove one Hent se.vAlt,
tlpg we're gI4rIll.rd EJ-S il y. 1fereuca U
tl. .lI rr, isa-- f S. Fl tncl-so. II-sr
u-n 1AI been selected u N Y llr those ga-
ruliar srait- 70 clt-lcter Nn.sn lead sJIu-
men tJ --i-s Al rules Nll1l talI tJ aI-
vance th- Interest Jf SifAIag nsu, a1i ksa.
ID m from .--JAiag the vlGAns If us4rr-
i-s. ta-6nIster-, Tney formed nuc.eI-
around winch thg cJmptnt+s Elve Jeeu su
arl-' r. cashier probteiy l50 carpenters and
callkers, the u iiOrIty JI waJlI 10 tn5Ir ~
Der m meats, express regret at their coa
duet towards the Jli re-id -nts, wl J-e lami-
lies, III TOO many INST .ucts, suffer, because
The husband ani father caunit, Will DOT
submit t1 rne aCt- % lid I-t,ce p acticei BY
the agents 0f these ,mpanies, many Of
hom we're once kings Of che quarter deCa-,
=
ers Ia lsj7 there were about loo ship
carpenters in tlis city, ani l5 aaulEers. To-
member hai increased 20 Us az tne time OF
the Frazer River e4cI-ement in me tJlIoS
inE year ID c0n-eq renee 1f Wh en-, the num-
Der was increased % about $50 n ten
months, and the nominal wages nai fallen
from seven djlla-@per da; tJ f0ar dJllars.
while a great many were forced 70 work for
three or three dollars and half per day.
Work by the day was nearly superseded by
slump" work which was done, owing ~
competition among The men, at prices Civ
in TO the JDuFnevmen but two dollars and
half per day. Sd great had che cOmpeti-
tion become, that many Of the responsible
bosses Withdrew from be business, placing
the work in the hand. Of men wlJ had
neither money nor reputation; the c0nss-
qucnce was that BY 1868, the number 0f
ship carpenters had been 50 r. 'Gced that
there we're scarcely enough letl Cd 10 the
work OF The port In the spring Ot that
year a mlsund rstanding arose between The
carpenters arr superintendent 0f thg p. NJ
;. ;. Co., caused ~ a refusal 20 pay the
passage Of the men who had been taken
from thIs city 70 b snicIa, 20 repair one of
the cOmpAny's steamers she custom AN % z
ail other employers, his predecessor iIell-
de having been 20 pay the passage. rhs
men % this occasion wers plainly told Jhat
others h "A done more f0r them than taay
w-re compelled 20, bd5 hat he did not 10
tend Cd 10 -. The matter Was a,JsrEArdS
mad. right, 90 Application At the CON Jauy's :
Office, the agent dec arlng that the superln-
teadenE acted without auth GRITTY. aad h4i
. a 4aF
gang Of % % was wanted. AMI Doe men piv
en % understand that they mIst pay Vi .lr
oNn passage this taey, az a mee,iag bali
about the 21tn VI April, 1868 refuse " do
The agent again directed tadt tue pt.stg.
money should be paid Az a suh--a i-4s
meeting the men resolved not u E1rs anv
more naurs lor the P. NJ. ). S Co., tnan
thry worked for any other employer. From
tbaJ time unt'i JIiy, 1861, tue sugerinJsni-
ent, 90 variJG- icodsIan,, u inifestei a dis
DID itiJn 20 1ara.s and lnOT Cd c4rpen aer.
and ca1lkers, Oh one or twJ OCCASION ssin,
toEa-ds th3m The viieN names "a tbe etrty
FarT " the month " July, us srly all ths c4r-
0enter- and ctulss.- la ths employ Of tb4
-te tmship cN1lJanIes, were dlsonarggd, N
com plissee win sne terms OF au agree d IN,
sug zested Dy this individual, and -as ef ir5
made 10 .0yplV their 1iases With mea fr0 u
Jhe interior # tae -ttie; ani in4llv. oy n
rprt4riOn from ta- + NC ant IrJge. Ta+y
have been -ucse.-lui "a dbu1tak the nun
Der Of ca-pea ers 10 ID last twenty m ,nth. !.
Ani the imnigratiln during the last foar
10 Dntn- am ilnts . n IRE t8An 0ne-foar,n 4
che entire nImbsr h-re.
Work b. been pretty good during n
la.t tw1 m0nth-, buiid.nI AMI reparin,
"a MI vessels Tor the sumner traIe, a.,
there are tSo rigsr boats 0IIiiing, yet the r,
are large nln1ar N mn 1911. and w 4,
week. FIR he mex two months, will adj !,
the number Two years ago there were 20
carpenters IN tnis city and AZ Mare ISLAND
and they got work bnt a litrle over half IN
lime. AZ present there are kuow % 3
v 800 carpenters, and 800 caulkers, and eao
steamer adding from ten to twenty 20 n
number.