The morning call., 1893-10-11
FILTHY PACKERS.
Chinese Slaves Return
From Alaska.
ARGUMENT FOR WHITE LABOR
Dirty, FriendIess and Without
Money, Victims of Hard Work
and Gambling.

Much has been said in the past con.
cerning the employment of Chinese as
cannery hands. Arguments have been ad-
vanced calling attention to the filthy con
dition of celestial packers in our loca
canning establishments, but yesterday the
arrival of three vessels from Alaska
each with its quota of returning employees
of northern salmon packers, afforded
convincing proof OF the low class of labor
engaged to pack the Alaskan salmon
catch. The sight will always remain i'm
pressed upon the memories OF those who
watched the flth-covered. disease-infected
wretches come ashore from the barks
Electra. Fresno and Elsinore. which arrived
in port each with its thousands of cans OF
fish, caught cooked and canned by
Chinese to the exclusion Of white labor.
The quarantine officer would have boen
justified In ordering the entire cargoes OF
returned laborers. to Angel Island Tor
fumigation and medical inSpection.
Each of the vessels mentioned brought
down about sixty Chinese, nearly every
one of whom had gamble away every
cent of his seasons earnings ana returned
TO this city pauper. Who the lucky ones
were is not TO be ascertaned. but that has
little to DO with the story.
Before the packing season opened there
were thousands of men who desired TO go
north, and these we're willing to offer their
services at a rate fully as low as that
named by the contractors. Honest la bor-
ing men with families 10 support walked
the water front in search of employment
from the salmon-paekers, and were told
that the canneries had all the help that
was needed. In their places the canning
conpanies-about four-tenths OF which are
run by English capital-employed hordes
of the most miserable looking Chinese
that Cum Cook alley ever turned out AT
the time THE CALL drew attention TO the
manner in which the OrentalS were
packed on board of the northbound YES
sells in pens much after the fashion that
hogs are shipped. Even then it was an
old story. Seldom, however, has worse
looking lot of slaves been turned loose IN
our midst than those who returned yester-
day from Alaska. AS published before
a number of the coolies had died en- route.
Another death was added to the list yes
teIday.
When the three barks anchored in the
stream they were imm mediately surrounded
by a number of boatmen. Chinese were
bundled off the vessels into the boats and
sent ashore as quickly as possible. Then
nese had any money, aud when the boats
landed they could not pay the boatmen.
The latter took the heathen back to the
barks and were refused admittance on
board again. Several Chinese were
severely beaten by the infuriated boatmen,
and pandemOnium reigned for awhile.
Some Of the Chinese and white men who
knew the story of how the seasons salmon
pack was put up told that the slavery to
which the Chinese were subjected was
worse than that of ante-bellum days. If
these reports be true it is no small wonder
that Chinese instead of white men were
employed I'D north. No white man would
subject himself 10 such treatment.
The cannerles would sometimes run
from o'clock in the morning till nearly
midnight, forcing the Chinese to be on
duty about sixteen or eighteen hours"
said cannery man. THE Chinese were
the dirtiest lot OF human beings l ever set
eyes upon, and / don't think any one could
he tempted to eat any Chinase-prepaTed
salmon if they only knew how it was
handled. A white man could not possibly
do the work of one Of those coolies. 1t
would kill him. The canneries get an i'm
mense amount of work out of the ChlaeSe,
and in that way clear about So per cent Oh
their investment l have seen Chinese
who looked as if they might have been
suffering from scurvy handling salmon
that few minutes later would be boiled
in the cans.
THE very cheapest class of labor is en-
plOyed, and no one gets the benefit of what
is profitable coast industry but the can
nery-owneTs and few labor contractors.
The Chinese all gamble and lose all Of
their wages long before the season is over
and then return to town dead broke. They
have not money to buy clothing and have
little care for their health"
One Chinese on getting into White
hall boat alongside of one of the return
salmon feet was so alive with bugs that be
was forced to remove his coat and throw it
him ashore. Nearly every one of TIE
Celestials was filthy, dirty and scarcely fit
to be approached.
During the voyage down one of the Elsi-
nore's Chinese had died OF blood poisoning
(probably scurvy), had been salted down
and placed in barrel OF brine, his COM
paniOns refusing to bury him a. sea.
When the Electra passed in the boatmen
hooked OF" off Powell-street wharf, but
soon learned that every Chinese, or
nearly every one, was without means and
il a condition personally TOO dirty to
handle.
The pack brought down by the three
barks amounts TO nearly 10000 cases, and
represents large profit to tbs Gamers
Very little profit is derived from the in
dustry to the community at large, while If
white labor were employed thousands of
dollars would be brought back to this city
by the laborers. As it is, the Chinese
gamble their earnings away to each other.
Some half dozen or more heatheps reap a
rich harvest and send the money back to
China as soon as they arrive in San Fran
cisco. Money is not used in the canneries,
but time checks are exchanged.
mn harl leca f0ld I'd
of how the salmon were packed, which, If
true, would prevent any one from ever
indulging in a feast OF canned salmon
again. Suffice 1t TO say that more filthy,
disgusting lot of laborers never returned
TO civilized port than those who were on
board Of the inbound packers feet yester-
DAY.