Daily Republican., 1883-08-22
THE LABOR 9UBsRsSs.
more AbOut Strikes = Wages the
dignity and Drg gsadaatON Of La.

| OOe.
NEW YonK, Aug. 2l.-Befors III.
S'na u Subcommittee on Labor am
Education there appeared this morning
Richard Powers, of Chicago, Presiden
Of the Seamen's Union of the Lakes
This Union, he said, had improved tn,
moral condition of its members, and sc
cured them higher wages, and is now
striving to procure the passage of law
tending to diminish the risk to life in
CURED by the Lake sailors, by prohibit
ing the overlooking Of vessels and max
ing 1t compulsory 10 man them witt
suitable crews. A great number Of th'
Lake vessels, he said, are unse lworthy.
A law should he passed, hs urged, pro
viding that at lcast two-third. Of The
sailors employed on American vessel,
should be native born Americans.
George q. Block, asa representative
Of the ourneymen bakers of this city
testified. TIN. condition ot the bakers,
he said, il a very degraded one on ac-
connt OF the long hours they are com
pelled TO labor. They begin work At ,
p. IN, , aud { ntinue until 1. j, i aud
sometimes y a. M The greater number
are unmarried. The average wages is
s.. 90 "A week. The baker, struck Some
tm. ago for "a reduction 10 Twelve hours
for their days labor The bosses agreed
to this, but when the men returned to
work the pledges given were broken.
Mr.. Block stated that Of the walters
employed IN lager beer saloons many
are prussian army officers, German no.
IA nd - iln nrtn b.N A, "A
to this country expecting to make for
tunes, but who found this heir only
means of gaining a livelihood. Speak.
ing of the brewers, Mr.. Block said that
there are in this city 81 brewers, eiL.
ploying about $500 msn. A trades un-
ion was organized in 1881. Shortly af.
ter there was strike for a decrease OF
working hours to twelve per day and
extra compensation for Sunday work.
The strike was won by the men. The
wages range from $50 to 800 per
month.
a. II. Seymour was recalled and gave
further testimony concerning the con.
,olidatior of rival telegraph companies
with the Western Union.
The a ternoon session was occupied
with the exnIninali II of Adolph SJras
ser, the President of the Cigar Makers
/ t.rnational Union. Mr.. Strasser be-
1an by reading large quantity Of sta
tistics, showing the average rate Of
wages in his trade III this country, and
the average cost of living. The figures
showed that where there was an exist.
ing organization much higher rate Of
wages prevailed than where the indus
try was unorganiz.d. The highest rate
paid was SIG per week, and the lowest,
81. The higher rates prevailed where
the Unions had been longest es-
tablishrd.
The tendency was to equalize wages
all over the country, and this was be-
ing assisted by means of a system Of
spreading information in regard TO the
state of the trade in various parts Of
the country. Since 1864 there had been
362 strikes in the cigar business, 2Ol of
which had been won, l37 lost, II com
prom ised, and 10 are still in progress.
finally compromised. These strikes
actually cost $3.50, 4A 81. and there was
an actual gain in wages to the work.
men OF 81, sOO,O 900 per annnm. There
were lS5 branches of the International
Union in this country and Canada, and
a membership of 80, 600. Mr.. Strasser
four Legislative measures
which would tend to mitigate the evils
which threaten labor in general in this
country.
The first was the enforcement Of the
National eight hour law in the case of
all Government officers, and apply the
same rule to all patents granted by the
that in every industry
by the paten holder the
hours of labor should be limited to
eight second. o authorize the incorpo-
ration of labor organizations, and place
them on the same basis as other corpo-
third, to establish national
bureau Of labor statistics and, lastly,
to amend the revenue law by providing
that after May, 1884, no license should
be granted to cigar manufacturers EN-.
ploying prison or penitentiary labor.
The tendency Of trades unions was to
decrease the number of strikes. The
strike, Mr.. Strasser
'hought, acted from want of proper in
owing to incomplete orgaEi-
lati0n. The hearing will go on to-
morrow, when Henry George will be
he priucipll witness