New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-04-29
CHE LABOR QUESTION.
,oDr OF THE MASSACHUSETTS, BUREAU
BEPoNi OF STATISTICS.

a
MA"n oSccrPATIoNS-FACToRY LlFE-ILNE-
or uorsFs-POYERTY, INTEMPERANCE'
AND OTHER TOPICS ho
o-rox April 2S.-The second report vi .no
pV :, statistics Of Labor, embracing an account
BureS~ and inquiries from March 1870 10 mIen
iSUP vras presented 10 the Legislature ou"'' |
L. io,t covers nearly COO pages, ana Is maui W -
o0V..,ing and valuable statistics ana lhiolm"'on'
Nv ,,roe of special importance, in we" Vi 'no go,
t"' "a ooncern which is manifested toward INC ~
sPh,cb are included in the solution ana ulsouS
Tn labor question A clear account is Si'o , %
lin and object Of strikes. ana minute -, A. ,szo
sraI Of those which occurred In Massacnse :, ,ho,r
;,h suggestions that point TO a roDoe and
-, oeects IN n dimnutiOn in their ooouit -,
",, 60 tne,r epfire extinction through ha'uii anu
o, .,.,ogses Following these there is gwen IN
mation mon agricultural, domestic ,, %
.rfscturing mechanical, ana olheI inu' ~
- .orived from replies received ID answer W pi"nh
,rulars sent employers ana enpo'eo' anu Vr"
- GIVEN by each OF those parties covering the
"s' . t,or NJ wages, earnings, and cost Of living
v,ork working time, hours OF labor. educa-
ondition. womens work and wages, factory hfe
uO1 with tables and their explanation comments
,bsreop and conclusions thererom
T,uehpg strikes the document states that the history
a,nroats shows that few disputes arise between cap
-, ns labor on mere questions Of wages. The strikes
o,sl thing appear TO have been points of "honor
.. .,otcd them on" rather than love Of gain. The
-, understanding between masters and men being
s.sonsby good what feuds they had resembed family
sssgreements between members OF the same household
ora than later-day quarrels between employers ana
smpoyed In the Investigations OF strikes In Massa
ssets only one was found to have increase Of wage
'o' ~ wy STRIKES IN MASSACHUSETTS
Iodustry during the year has been paralyzed IN the
eouine places: Fall River cotton-spinners, against
ye reduction Lynn, shoemakers, against wage reduc-
e1,o aIop QrQfp xUav rp1up
Marlborough, shoemakers, not defnabe; Worcester,
,riredrawers change OF method; Weymouth, nailers,
pst wage reduction: Randolph, shOemaRers, increase
NJ wage Needham, framekniters against wage reduo-
ton The strike at Fail River lasted nine weeks and the
loss in production the state exceeded S2J0Oo0 while
the loss to the operatives about $S75OOG beside
Total cost 10 the city OF $4l74 10 for troops. &c.
TIE HEATHER CHINEE AT NORTH ADAMS.
The facs concerning the strike at North Adams which
resulted in the employment Of the Chinese generally
known and are given in full in the report Mr.. Sampson
testified recently before the Bureau concerning bis eX
pertinent, aud among his statements are these: 1.-The
work first about the average for beginners My
agreement contract not made with the men per-
sOnally, but made and signed with Kwong. Chong
Wing & Co. have made no contract agreement with
the since arriving here. They held TO me for
certain number Of years at the end OF the time they are
at liberty dispose OF themselves they fit, or re-
new the contract. decline 10 shoe the contract The
payment goes 10 the men, ana Is by tne mOntn' Ine
money put I'm the hands Of the foreman Sng monthly
He keeps their accounts The men board in club and
are having things throu Oh the month which he gets and
charges He deducts these. and unless they want to
s.nd sums away pays the rest for their
make out the drafts and send them These do not recog
uze each individual but agent TO whom letter Of
instruction is sent containing statements Of account with
different parties This agent takes the Enclosure and
satisfies the claims of individuals to whom they are in
debted / pay nothing but cash. Ipaid dollar man
10 the firm through whom procured this help. They
paid for dispatches nquiring into my responsibility
since the Cinnamon have got TO work. there have been
threats Of blowing up the mill and destroying Mr. Chase
the superintendent, and myself These threats were not
writing but verbal and floating. The first threats came
through the CTispin lodge, from a man who said he
would shoot the first Chinaman that came here Crspns
have made threats against but we have suffered no
violence so far The Cinnamon don't seem TO be AFRAID
20 90 about town ALL though they have been waylad
once or twice. and kicked several times Men nave
lnped them in the face but they don't say anything
about IT, and when you ask about It, you cannot ma VINO
has been struck. They are out almost every evening
Their ordinary food is meat and vegetables They use
tea taking few swallows before and after meals, but
not drinking it with their food Their tea comes from
their own people Coffee is not drunk by them Rice Is
their bread and butter They have it at every meal to-
gether with beef, pork, mutton, fish, and vegetables
sng buys their food and they have two cooks of their
u
from China ginger etc 1t Will be cheaper to manufae
ture shoes with Cinnamon than with other wOrkmen.
When this kind Of labor becomes general, the consumer
will reap the benefit.
Temperate men Of ordinary thrift and having or
binary family-say two ohildren-whO were employed
y me under the former system could from their yearly
earnings steady work. maintain their families and lay
up something beside for permanent real estate invest
ueut can mention any number Of instances where it
has been done. have known Instances where men IA
boring with their hands have been able 10 accumulate
at 20 years of age, such sum OF money as would give
them, put interest, much per day their usual
wages such cases are exceptional My payroll for the
month OF Apr was 100 IOr 100 men, IN !he pOIt0ne
department, 1880 for GO men. decline 10 gre me
dnOtnt for any month since, as Il YOU'D deteF meJrOm
on review Of the testimony Just closed it IS difficult TO
indicate the real underlying origin Of the affair II can
not fail Of notice that there appears TO have been no
Fnutual sympatbies, personal or other, between Mr.
occasion of slack demand, their choice between re-
ducton Of wages or soppage OF work Tor ume; Ihey
snedately sends for other help TO remote shoe town.
directing the hiring Of none but Crspns even Offering
4igher wagcs, against whose order he had declared
strong opposition on their coming, looking INTO mat,
s.Is anu & nor 70 stay ne at 1Dee seIs b e
contract he declined 10 give. Matters appeared to be
going on smoothly, and the wOrkmen are indus
HnOuy attaining skill. But II remains for time to prove
5nowledee Of the p5ds Of work and mode Of life of
their fellow craftsmen here, they will be contented to
whether they Win learn and practice both combination
and strike, they have done i'll their country with
fcarul result, Calcutta, where they have the
successful and powerful tradeuniOn in the world
OF the Crispn organization citizen of Marlborough
tesuhes There those who think the organization
OF Knights OF 81 Cspn works 10 the injury Of our town.
z lllnk Otherwise During the seven years have lived
Sefe, real estate has doubled in value and during the
two years Crispinsm there have been more houses
aunt Than during the five previous years. This comes
IRON the fact that our labOrers confined TO MarOO
rough more than they used 20 be. This organization
rather controls labor. Instead OF folks coming from
canada Maine, wHampshre. and other places abroad
y work few months and then carry their money away
ne Work u done by those who iVe or propose TO live
IAere The money earned Is therefore spent In town.
Jhe interest OF the working people in the town Is In
CT ased Little places bought and Marlborough Is