Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-03-13
FORTUNES IN sOAPsUDs.
What the Chinese Laundry Busi-
 ness Amounts to.
A an Organizer of Labor, and . Hhanipu- latOr of Capital. John ChinamAn Is an Expert-A Union That Has
 No Strikes.

ThaA the Chinese in this city, while they give no outward demonstrations, are moro progressive in their ideas of organized labor than the average Amer ican worker was clearly shown to re- porter of the New York Journal the other day by laundrymnn.
 Although John Chlpalnan says and does little in the way of labor agitation, the almond-eyed Celestials in this vicin- ity have one of the strongest labor oe- ganlzations in existence. More than fourteen thousand 0hinamen are band ed together, and not alone do they keep wages up, but they support their union and assist in the support of all their needy brothers, regardless of the union, who have not renounced the Tavist re- Ngion.
 The organization is called the Chinese Laundrymen's association, or, In Chi nese, the Sue Pow Yen Since Cow.
 There are in this city and its suburbs nearly fifteen thousand Ohinamen en- gagged in the laundry business, and In no instance Is there a nonunion v-arlz- man among them. In fact, the union Is perfect, and whatever dissensions may arise are quickly settled by the mayor, whose word is law. Consequently such thing as a strike among them is an impossibility, for to disregard the de- cision of the mayor means simply that laundry workman must pack up his trunk and go back to China. He can never again secure a position at his trade. Wo Hung. in Hoboken. Lee Sing, in Williamsburg, and Sam Wah. in New York, have uniform scale of prices for the washing of shirts, collars and cuffs. Under no consideration must 1t be deviated from. and no matter where 0 person may go to have his laundry work done in the vicinity, he will find it impossible to get one shop with cheaper prices than another. The society admits as members any man who is physically able and sufh- ciently expert to work at the business. No apprenticeship is necessary. and therefore there can be no honunion men. The scale of wages for workmen is uniformly three dollars a day, and the foreman of laundry receives no higher wages than those who work un- der him.
 There are certain agents or walking delegates appointed by the head of the society to visit the various laundries :, during certain period to discover the needs or grievances of the men. Should any trouble arise, it is immediately re ported to the head of the organization, I who presents both sides of the case to the mayor. He renders decision, and | the matter Is then and there and for all ! timc settled
 Other agents are employed to visit | each laundry every week to collect the ! dues of twenty five cents from each worker. This is placed in general fund. Some is spent on the union and part of 1t goes to pay the salary of the mayor. Tho residue is kept to draw on in case of sickness and death, whether ! a Chinaman be a laundryman or u fan tan player.
 A large number of the laundries hcrc- \ abouts are owned and controlled by Q ! syndicate, on the same plan that liquor \ saloons arc owned by the brewers. When q good location can be found and \ a Chinaman desires to venture in the | laundry business the Chinese capital
 ists are only too ready to fix up the | place, stock it with all tho necessaries and take Chinese mortgage on 1t. ! These mortgages arc simply a mans \ word. There can be no loss, for so thoroughly and nationally are the
 Chinamen organized that man finds it
 little to his advantage to embeZzle. He has no Chinese Canada to go to, seek ing refuge from the law. He knows | that he is branded and that it is simply | a matter of time before he is discov-
 cred, and he suddenly disappears from
 tho face of the earth. He is soon for
 gotten and his disappearance from his
 friends simply reminds them of the punishment that will surely be meteG
 out to them if they follow in his line
 They know that the society which if
 commonly known as highbinders is re
 lentless and sure.
 Conversation in the Lawrence Fam.
 ily.-She-'I hear that your mother
 has bought house on Beacon street. 5
 He-"Yaas; and only fahncy all oul
 family live on Beacon street now, ex-
 cept grandpapa, but he intends moving
 there just as soon as he can." She
 "Oh, how nice! But if he should die
 frst?" He-"Well, then, we should
 have the funeral on Beacon street."-
 Boston Beacon
 A country minister who in addition to his clerical duties followed the pro
 fession of a photographer, was called
 upon to perform the marriage cere-
 mony. Now, then, young man," he | said to the groom, who was nervous