Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-17
ABOUT THE UNEMPLOYED.
A Conference With the COun-
Gil at the City Hall.
An Intelligent Speech by Young
Los Angeles Salesman.
Some Addresses by Mayor Hazard on \
Matter Which Concerns All Men
and Yet Seems Like No
boCy's Business.

An informal meeting was held in the
council chamber of the city hall last
night, Councilman Tufts presiding and
Councilman Rees acting as secretary.
The entire council was present, and a
deputation of the legislative committee
of the federated trades was in attend
ance. There were also two representa-
tives of Petty & Hummel, and three or
four others who spoke against the estab-
lishment of the proposed free laber ex-
change. Mr.. Newman, chairman of the
labor committee, favored the new con.
Germ. 1t would save the unemployed OF
the CITY tax which but few of them
were able to bear. The following COM
munication was then read:
IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.
DEAR FRIEND: Our Heavenly Father has
opened the doors of the old court house to some
of His true followers for the preaching OF the
glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. We have also
op. ned a Tree employment bureau in the name
of Jesus whereby poor men may te helped to
obtain work, flee of charge Realizing in our
hearts that Gods work never fails, we kindly
ask your cooperation in this matter, as the
Lord may direct you to help us. .
We intend, by Gods ielp, to furnish. to all
who require, reliable people. No fee win be
charged, either to employ er or employed.
You are cordially invited to all our meetings.
Meetings every day at IL m. and = 80 p. m.
Sundays at 10 4. m, and z 80 p. m
Yours for the I'd, W. M. KELLY,
MIR. Homer Katz was introduced, and
made brief but intelligent speech, in
which he said that if the city would fur
nish suitable room and stationery, the
Federated Trades would employ quail
fed man to see that the concern was
conducted in good and ship-shape man.
ner. He then paid his respects to the
various employment agencies in town,
some of which, he said, were we'll con-
ducted, while others were a positive
disgrace to the city. So long as man
had money to pay for being sent to job
of work, they cared not whether he was
competent to fill the place or not. All
was fish that came to their net. In
this connection he would read an ex-
tract from printed blank of one of
these alleged employment agencies:
"Where engagements are made, and
the parties fail TO go to work, or when
this receipt becomes void by the ex-
piration OF time indicated on the same
or when parties 60 to work on trial and
fail to suit, no money will be refunded,
but other work may be given"
"There you have it," said Mr.. Katz,
"the man is sent out to work of which
be has no previous knowledge and when
he is let out at the end of four or five
days he can whistle for his money"
Mayor Hazard spoke in favor Of such
an institution and in behalf Of such an or.
eanization, and believed that properly
conducted labor exchange would pay
indirectly if not directly. If such a
place were established, it would give
the unemployed cheap means OF get
ting work. He believed men must
either be given work or they would
starve; and the thoughts OF anybody
starving in land of plenty like South
ern California, were enough to make a
humane man shudder. He would like
to know ii it was not far more humane
to put man to work at from $l2 to $15
per week, than to meet him daily and
give him half dollar to stave off the
pangs Of hunger? "Show me your gen.
uine philanthropist," said the mayor,
land | will show you man who first
seeks to provide the hungry man with
work and, that failing, gives him money
afterwards to buy food for himself"
A representative of Petty & Hummel's
agency said that there were from ten to
twelve persons IN the employ OF that
concern, who, they said, worked an aver
age of fourteen hours per day, and he
doubted exceedingly, if the work were
done as work is done in the public Of
fees in the way public officials work
whether twenty men could conduct theil
business. He made very intelligent
speech, and showed the other side of the
case. He said there were men who
would come around the employment
agencies in search of work, who are al
ways hunting soft jobs. They would
object to certain places, because womer
were placed to work in situations thai
should be given to men. And in thil
way they would keep on from
day to day, refusing one jot
after another, until their money
was gone. The employment agencies
OF this city have made men study, anC
know there are great many who seel
employment knowing, while doing so
that they cannot fill the bill, and thai
they will be discharged as incompetent
before the lapse of one week or ten days
Petty & Hummel were sending scores oi
men out weekly, without exacting fees
in advance. They obviate this difficulty
by taking orders from these men on
their employers at thirty days. He
hesitated not to cay that so per cent oi
the men who came to employment
auonciea were man who were ont nj