Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-08-04
CONTRACT LABOR.
inc Committee to Investigate Immiera-
ton Commence Work

ton Commence Work
NEW YORK, July 3O.-The house commit
tee, which Is investigating immigration.
called John B. Dyer, secretary of the gran
tie cutters national union, to the stand to-
day. He is q native of England, but has
oeen IN this country eighteen years. He
knew OF stone cutters having been brought
| over under contract to work. He said that
one George Berry, acting for Gus Wilkes,
the contractor, employed by the syndicate
to build the new state capitol at Austin,
Tex, had brought over a number of stone
cutters under contract to work on that Job.
Witness had received information they we're
| coming and met them at Castle Garden, and
three OF the men were taken before the
United States district attorney, but that he
refused to act, and they we're allowed to 60
to Austin. Mr.. Dyer presented to the COM
mittee an affidavit that Charles Falsoner,
one of the party, says that Berry engaged
him and number Of others at Aberdeen,
Scotland, to come over here and work ON
the Austin capitol, and had advanced 8
pounds and 10 shillings of the passage
money. Seventy-eig of them came over,
and fifty five went to Texas. They came
over in April, 1886.
Robert Maitland, another native of Aber-
deem, made similar affidavit which Mr..
Dyer presented to the committee. Accom-
paning Maitland's affidavit was the following
him by Berry in Aberdeen:
AUSTIN, Tex, July II, 1888.
To the Stone Cutters If Aberdeen:
This certifies that Mr.. George Berry is in
my employ, constructing the capitol build
ing in the state of Texas. and that he is fully
authorized to engage and hire 100 stone cut
ters, and bring the same to Austin
to cut granite for the capitol build
ing at the bill of prices named
below. Payments on this work are made
on the fifteenth day of each month, for all
the work done in the month preceding. II
will require eighteen months of steady gran
lite cutting to cut enough stone to complete
the building.
Blacksmiths are also needed in this work,
and their pay is 40 cents per hour or 81 per
day of ten hours. Each blacksmith sharpens
tools for fifteen cutters. The fare for pas
sage paid by me is expected to be returned
to whom fare is advanced.
[Signedl Gus WILKES,
Contractor Capitol building.
large printed card coutsigning Robert
Maitland to g. Wilkie, Austin, Texas, and
another circular contained a printed certih-
cate signed by Gus Wilkie, contractor, that
board and lodging at Burnett, where the
stone yard was situated, was from SIG to $50
q month.
The witness said that the governments
furnished the contractors convict labor to
quarry the stone. and that the granite cut
tiers were asked by the quarrymen not to cut
granite which was quarriej by convict
labor and then Wilkie sent over to Scotland
for these men. He said Senator Farwell
was the chief man of the syndicate, and that
Wilkie represents himself as acting for the
syndicate. The witness would not swear
that Senator Farwen knew of Wilkes
action in importing this contract labor.
The state of Texas gave the syndicate 3,0OO,-
600 acres of land and the labor of 500 con-
Yicts.