St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-09
BROUGHT HERE IN BONDS.
Thousands of Russian and Polish Serfs
Imported by Contractors.
THEY LABOR FOR A PITTANCE
Native American Breadwinners Tell
Sorrowfll Stories to the Congress
sional Committee.

NEW YORK, Aug. S.-The emigration
investigation by the congressional com.
mittee took new turn to-day. When
the committee assembled pleasant
faced young woman was sworn. She
gave her name as Mary Berg, and for
six years past she had worked for Her.
mann Berg, flannel shirt maker on
East Forty-first street. When she went
there 200 girls were employed working
on foot machines. About a year ago
steam was put in and forty or fifty
Russians and Poles were employed,
taking the places of the majority
of the girls. Previous to the
employment of the foreigners, the girls
made from S6 to 50 a week. Now they
can only make S5 a week. She has
known married men to take the places
OF girls and work toI 81 a week. She
heard the proprietor ask one of the for
eigners employed there if he could not
get him more of his countrymen. He
told him he could, but would have to
send to Europe for them. He told him
TO send and get all he could. There
had been continual reduction in wages
since the foreigners came to the factory.
She left there this week on account of
REDUCTION IN THE SCALE
OF wages. She declared that shirt
that was made for 60 cents in 1884, is
now made for 40 cents, and one that
was then made for s. is now made for
81. She said many of these Russians
and Poles work here and save money,
then go home and spend it and return
again to make more. She knew one
man who saved $500 here and went
home, where he invested it in business
and lost it. He repeated the expert
ment, and is now back here for the
third time and working for 81 a week in
place of girls who had been discharged.
Mrs. Helen Auckner then took the
stand. She is employed in making rub
Der goods. About a year ago she did
some work at making white goods for
the purpose of investigating the rate of
wages paid and the condition of those
engaged in it. She found that an ex-
pert could not earn S5 a week. The av
erage was about 81. while ten years ago
they could make $40 week.
She aScribed this solely to the Civ
These contractors, she said, are Russian
and Polish Jews, who take the work
home. The work is not SO we'll done by
these contractors, as it was formerly by
the girls, but the manufacturers save
larger sums in rent and other ways.
Witness never found person who
worked for contractor who made 81 a
week. She had carefully investigated
the habits of the foreign laborers and
gave it as her option that they are not
only
FILTHY AND IMMORAL
in the mode of life, but their example
is calculated to cOntaminate our own
people. who have to mix with them
more or less. She described the sights
to be most revolving. One Francois
Glouten, a French knitter. had been I'M
ported at their expense and under a
written contract by McGallum, Consta-
bic IL Co., of Holyoke, Mass. He swore,
and produced copy of the contract.
DR.. Charles Hoyt, secretary of the
state board of charities was sworn. He
said the proportion of foreign paupers
in this state was fOrty-seven times that
of native paupers. Witness said he had
particulars of hundreds of cases which
were assisted to this country. The Can
adian people did not want these people,
and as fast as they landed there. sent
them over here. Witness did not think
any other state felt the effect of this
evil so much as New York in proper
tion to its population, but he thought
Michigan was beginning to feel it and
will feel it more.