The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-08-02
HOW THE ITALIANS ARE FOOLED
UNEARTHING THEIMPORTEHS OF
CONTRACT LABOR,

d UNEARTHING THEIMPORTEHS Oh
CONTRACT LABOR.
s Interesting TestimOn Before the Con
z gressIOnRI Investigating COMMITTED
e shameless Treatment of the Poor
{ Foreigners.
The Italian vice consul, Attilio Mona
CO, was witness. be said about so pei
ceht. of the Italians coming over here
were farmers, 30 per cent. skilled labor
ers and the balance day laborers. He
had about month ago received 81. .00O
from his government to be distributed
i among the poor Italians here. This
money was sent 10 the consulate by Bar.
on Fava, the Italian minister, and the
money was turned over to the Italian
Emigration Society for distribution.
Signor Monaco gave some interesting
information about the manner in which
contractors have induced his country
men to emigrate. He said they would
send out to Italy to their agents to Sc
, cure certain number of men and send
them over here, paying their passage.
Then the emigrants would agree to work
for them and pay them anywhere from
$50 to $25 interest for advancing the
passage money. He said that the men
when they arrived herr were entirely at
the mercy of the contractors, who as a
rule kept saloons on Mulberry street.
They would put the men to work and all
the money for their labor is paid to the
contractors, who would hold it until
they got their money and exorbitant in.
terest back and often would get another
months pay from them and then let
them 60 without giving them any mon
ey, This is not so bad now as it was
three years ago, owing to he enforce
ment of the contract labor law. He
said that as rule these contractors kept
a bank, saloon, a labor bureau and
ticket office all in one, The Italian peo
pie were very saving and deposited their
money III these banks, which are under
no supervision whatever. Lately they
have become suspicious of these places
because three bankers had within wear
past skipped out without paying up. He
declared that within the past year be.
tween 900 and 6. 600 had applied tohim
for assistance.
The vice consul declared that his gov.
ernment had repeatedly warned his coun
trymen against the inducements held out
to them to emgrate. lie declared that
the idea that the Italians who come here
are dangerous class is wrong.
| Commissioner Morrow questioned him
about how the Italians working on the
aqueduct were employed. He said they
were employed through the contractors
bankers. Sometimes the contractors
themselves paid commissions to labor
agents.
l.. Constancean, the Bordeaux line
agent, explained that his line ran direct
from Bordeaux, except once in a great
while, when ship was chartered to go
to Naples and bring over a load of emi.
grants. The last time this happened was
IN May, when the Chateau YaQuem was
chartered by the company in Bordeaux
TO some parties whom the witness did
not know.
Louis COnteucin, chairman of the ItAl
ian Emigration Society and chairman of
the Italian Chamber of Commerce, was
the next witness. He said the society
was organized for the purpose of pro-
tecIing the Italians who come over here.
He stated that he had no personal knowl-
edge of the false inducements held out
to Italians to come over.
Robert Mario, the manager of the so
ciety, was next examined. He oame to
this country in October, 1878. In 1880
he went back to Italy and stayed two
years and half. He came back here to
settle the estate of his wife, who was an
American woman and who had died in
Italy during this time. He crossed back
and forth 10 times between then and 1887
when he came back here and agitated
the organization of the Italian Immigra.
tion Society.
While he was home the idea was sug-
gested to him by friend who was
government official. They talked it over
and he came over here and agitated it.
The society was organized in November,
1887, with capital of $1,000. The sal
arled officers of the society are the wit
ness, who draws $1,000 year, and four
others who draw from s. to SO a week.
He declared that the object of the soci-
ETY. was to protect the emigrant. He said
that the emierant who applied for help
was registered and upon paying 81
year the society tries to secure him EN-.
piOyment when he is out of work. Al
together in stock and registered fees &c..
700 has been paid into the society and of
this $3.50 is still on hand, The witness
explained how the bosses treated the la
borers hired through labor bureaus for
railroad work. He said that they made
the men rent shanties and buy all their
food and clothing Of stores kept by the
bosses and that he had known of cases
where the men bought at other than the
company's stores, and yet the value of
the articles 80 purchased was again de.
Quoted from their pay and allowed to
the bosses.
Witness presented two affidavits made
by Italian labor importers, in one case 10
emigrants and IN the other two having
been brought over here under contract
to work for the contractors who had paid
their passage money, the amount to be
deducted with about 100 per cent. inter-
est from their earnings. Witness dis
covered them at Castle Garden and COM
PEELED the contractors to agree to accept
simply the amount actually expended
for their passage. The witness stated
that many of the Italian bankers here
have agents on the other side who scout
the country to induce the people to come
over. He said that the thousands of em
igrants had told him that they were told
on the other side that they could get
profitable employment here as soon as
they landed. Thousands remain here
who gladly 20 back home if they had
money enough to pay their passage. He
said it was wrong idea that Italians
would work cheaper than any one else.
They always want the best wages that
are paid. He acknowledged that he had
been asked to get 80 men to go Mexico
to work in mines there at 80 cents day,
the fare from here there to be paid by
the contractors and deducted from their
wages, He found three men willing to
90 heCauFe they could not oct ANYTHING