The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-11-14
THE LoNGsaoREMEN.
Report of The Committee from the Board
of Trade.

The committee appointed by the Board Of
Trade last Saturday to confer with the long
shoremen about the matter of wages to be de-
manded for work on the foreign steamers DUR
ing the coming season made the following re-
port yesterday:
To the 0Rcers and Members Of The Board Of
Trade:
The undersigned of the committee appoint-
ed by the Board of Trade to C infer with the
'longshoremen of Portland, regarding their
employment by the foreign lines of steamers
coming to this port the ensuing season, beg
leave to report: that we met large body of
'longshoremen at the rooms of their Union
Saturday evening" the 18th inst Captain
Covle was not able to attend on account Of
prior engagements,
and fully presented by various speakers They
represent that the prices asked by them for
their labor are no more than the merchants
and shipowners vof Portland are aud have
been paying for some time for their services
on their vessels on work comparatively light to
that ON the steamers; that the merchants and
shlpowners of Portland have found no fault
with their prices, i'd they do not see the
consistency or propriety of working Jon foreign
steamers for less than they are freely paid on
sailing vessels belonging to our own citizens.
They say that the work on the steamers is not
continuous. Oftentimes there is no steamer
here and when here their work on them is
subject to frequent interruptions by hauling
to and from the elevator to other wharves and
from delay in the arrival or departure of cars,
when loaded or discharged &C., their pay
being stopped by these Interruptions until the
vessel is again ready for them to resume
work. At night in the coolest winter weather
they have to wait about the wharves without
any shelter, uncertain whether they will have
any work or not and at times, after waiting for
hours, go home without having earned cent.
On Sunday nights, If wanted, they are called
out of their beds to work at II O'Clock. They
estimate that about one-third OF the Ia
Dor of loading and disehargipg is performed at
night. The prices asked for their labor, viz:
30 cents per hour for day labor and 30 cents per
hour for night labor is five cents per hour less
than is paid by other steamers at Boston for
the same kind OF work. On the Allan Line,
they state, not more than eleven Portland men
were employed the past season and the aver
age wages earned by them did not exceed sew
en- dollars per week. On the other line there
were more Portland men employed and mora
wages were earned ON account of their bring
ing more cargo here, the Allan Line usually
dlsularging part of their cargoes at Halifax.
The point rafsad about u-~ -.a-.' i'--ss.-is
met by them by asserting thai me labor in all
its parts is equally hard and fatiguing that he
wheeling OF trucks or carrying of sacks on the
back is as hard work as that of slowing cargo
in the hold
They admit that the importation of foreign
labor might to certain extent be detrimental
TO them but only to small extent, but they
cannot on that account accept what they con-
slider inadequate compensation for their labor.
The labor of longshoremen at Montreal is of
course totally suspended during the winter
season, and perhaps they are obliged to accept
whatever the steamship companies choose to
pay them here or earn nothing, but our long
shoremen consider it unjust in the extreme to
regulate their pay by the necessities of men
living in an ice-bound, inland city. The pay
OF the employees in the Grand Trunk sheds
was quoted as Icing less than theirs To this
they reply that the employees of the Grand
Trunk have steady work and extra pay for
overtime, besides, their work was not carried
on with that rush that was expected of them
when loading or discharging steamers.
After fally discussing the question and TAX
ing into consideration the high price of rents
and all the necessaries of life, is justice to
themselves and their families they could not
consent to take less pay for their labor than
they had dem snded and the 'loDgshoremen's
society unanimously vo+ed to adhere 10 their
former decision of demanding 30 cents per
hour for day work and 50 cents per hour for
night work. j. S. WINsLow,
WIN. LEAvITT.
Portland Nov 49, 1882