The herald., 1894-01-31
NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM,
Che Citizens Labor Committee
and the Council.
The Committee Will Only Aid in An
Advisory Manner.
An Earnest Expression of Opinion at
the Meeting Held Yesterday.
A Plain Expression
of Opinion.

The citizens committee appointed to
act in conjunction with the citv labor
commission met yesterday morning in
response to call of the president. The
committeeman present were DR.. Weeks,
Messrs. Johnson, Marsh, Alexander,
Copp and Stewart and Chairman Prid-
| ham.
1t was announced by the chair that
the meeting had been called for the
purpose of considering certain questions
that had arisen.
! Mr.. Stewart said there seemed to have
been some misunderstanding as to the
procedure for those who wished to APP
ply for work under the committee. 1t
seemed to him that the applics nts
should first come to the members of the
committee from their respective wards.
He believed that was better than for the
| applications to be made first to the Sec
rotary of the commission.
Committeeman Marsh said he had
understood it that the applicants were
to leave their applications with the Sec
rotary and then have the members in
vestigate the cases.
Committeeman Copp suggested that a
definite time be fixed for the members
of the committee to be at the city hall,
and receive applications. He said that
in his ward (the Third there had been
few applications and he had little diff
Guilty in receiving them in his house.
He could readily see, however, that in
the wards where there were 80 many
applicants, the receiving of them at
the residences respectively OF the MEM
bers would cause some trouble and time.
which would be obviated by arranging
a time and place OF hearing.
| DR.. Weeks suggested that the secre-
tary be requested to post notices in
front of the city hall and at the chambe
OF commerce, to the effect that after to-
morrow the price to be paid for labor
would be 81 per day. HIS said he thought
| cy to materially lessen the applications
for employment.
Chairman Pridham said that in at
tempting to attend personally to the APP
plicants from his (the Eighty ward he
had found his time to be more than
fully occupied. In fact, it was almost
impossible for him to attend to them in
this manner. He would be glad of any
suggestions as to better method under
which to proceed.
Committeeman Marsh said that judg-
ing from the large number OF resolutions
OF award to be seen posted, the con-
tractors for public work would in few
days be employing some $50 men. As
soon as this was done there would be
likely to be good many OF the men
| who would take such work rather than
that under the city at 81 per day. If
the committee were to employ $50 men,
as he understood was contemplated, it
| would be necessary to see that they
| were supplied with proper tools, so that
they could work advantageously. Even
at present he had observed that some of
the gangs were not accomplishing as
much as they would ii they were some
what differently arranged.
Some one called up the question as to
whether the committee had anything to
do with the work and the tools. Was it
not the duty of the committee to see to
it merely that worthy men were recon-
mended for employment?
Mr.. Marsh said he had no desire to
accept the added responsibility, and in
| fact he was not anxious to serve on the
committee. He understood, however,
that at recent meeting of the council
the whole matter of the employment OF
the men had been turned over to this
committee.
At this time the question came up as
to whether the council had really turned
the whole responsibility over to the
committee, and one OF the committee
men asked that the secretary go to the
city clerks Office and verify the state
ment that such responsibility had by a
vote OF the council been so turned over.
Secretary Everett had just started to
20 after the official information, when
Chairman Pridham said he had read it
in the report at the council proceedings
as published in the daily papers. lie
| (Pridham) said he had desired to have
his position in the matter not misunder-
stood. AS lar as he was concerned, it
was the feeling that the committee
should not be asked to do anything
more than investigate as to the appli-
cants for employment. The committee
had been appointed 10 act in coniunc-
ton with the labor commission of the
council, and not to have entire charge Of
the operations. Mr.. Pridham spoke
with noticeable earnestness, and his
sentiments were echoed by number of
| the committeeman.
DR.. Weeks called attention to a reso-
| luton passed at his motion at former
meeting of the committee, which resolu-
ton was to the effect that the sense OF
the committee was that it's work should
be only advisory.
There was further discussion, at
which Mr.. Ramish remarked that he
believed the committee would not need
to have over one or two meetings for the
reason that but few applications would
be likely to come in for work at 81 per
day. He had been told that while the
city was paying So per day, a good many
OF the ranch owners were having diff
Guilty in getting men to do their work
for the reason that such men would
come to the city and work for so per
day rather than to work Tor the ruling
wages paid ON the ranches.
DR.. Weeks moved that the secretary
be requested to present TO the labor
commission list OF all the unemployed
as approved by the members OF this
committee.
This motion p9s adopted, after which
the meeting adjourned subject to the