The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-22
LABOR MATTERS.
Evidence Given Before the Senate Sub-Con
mittee Yesterday.

Evidence Given Before the Senate Sub Com
mittee Yesterday.
New York, Aug. 21.-Before the Senate
subcommittee on labor and education there
appeared, this morning, Richard Powers, of
Chicago, president of the Seamens Union of
the lakes. This union, he said, had improved
the moral condition of its members, had Sc
cured them higher wages, and is now striv-
ing to procure the passage of laws tending to
diminish the risk to life incurred by lake
sailors, by prohibiting the overlooking of
vessels and making it compulsory to man
them with suitable crews. A great number
of lake vessels he said are unseaworthy. A
law should be passed, he urged, providing
that at least two-thirds of the sailors em-
ployed on American vessels should be native
born Americans.
George G. Black as the representative of
the journeymen bakers of this city, testified
that the condition of the bakers is a very
degraded one, on account of the long hours
they are compelled to labor. They begin
work at P. NJ, and continue until T. 5, and
s A. NJ. The greater number are unmarried
The average weekly wages are $500 The
bakers struck some time ago for a reduction
to twelve hours as days labor
The bosses agreed to this but
when the men returned to work
the pledges given were broken. Black stated
that of the walters employed in the larger
beer saloons many are Prussian army Off
GERS, German noblemen and Russian princes
who came to this country expecting to make
their fortunes, but who found this their only
means to gain a livelihood. Speaking of
brewers, Black says there are in this city
thrty-five brewers, employing about 2, 300
men. A tradeS-unlon was organized in 1885,
shortly after there was strike for decrease
of working hours to twelve per day, and ex-
ira compensation for Sunday week. The
strike was won by tie men. Wages range
from $50 to $100 per month.
Adolph Strasser, president of the Cigar
makers International Union, read a large
quantity of statistics showing the average
rate of wages in his trade in this country
and the cost of living The figures showed
that where there was an organization much
higher rate OF wages prevailed than where
the industry was unorganized. The highest
rate paid is SIG per week. the lowest S.
Since 1864 there have been 1862 strikes in the
cigar business, 207 of which were won, 1877
lost, u compromised and 10 are still in prog
ress. One strike lasted ten months
and was finally compromised These strikes
actually cost S2S6 444, and there was an
actual gain in wages to workmen of 81 800 =
600 per annum. There were 1856 branches of
the International Union in this country and
Canada, and a membership of 5000 Mr.
Strasser suggested four legislative measures
which would tend to mitigate the evils
which threatened labor in general i'll this
country, as follows: Enforcement of the
national eight-hour law; to authorize incor-
porations and place them on the same basis
as other corporations: a national bureau of
labor statistics, and amendment of the reve-
nue. law by providing that after May, 1884
no license should be granted cigar manu-
facturers employing prison or penitentiary
labor.