Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-05-18
LETTERS FROM THEPEoPL
A Plea For the Employment of Home
Labor on the Water Works.
To the Editor of the DEMOCRAT:

Plea For the Employment of Home
Labor on the Water Works.
To the Editor of the DEMOCRAT:
1t is stated on good authority that there
are at the present time here in Waterbury
over ], 900 men out of employment. The
cause or causes which led to this lament
able state of affairs amongst the working
classes of our city is of course assignable
to the present widespread industrial de-
preston, which within the past six
months has swept over the country like
huge tidal wave, bringing with it financial
ruin and disaster. AS an indus rial center
Waterbury has withstood the strain which
was brought to bear on her manufacturing
industries in so courageous manner as to
elicit the admiration of the press OF the
country While the working classes of
on the verge of anarchy, the workingmen
of Waterbury, though suffering from want
of employment, have upheld the honor of
their city by refraining from making their
wants known through any riotous
methods.
Why, therefore, should not the authori
ties of this city lend a willing ear to the
demand of the unemployed for employ
ment? Are the workingmen of our city
less deserving of helping hand in their
hour of need than the workingmen of any
other city throughout the country? Is it
within the power of our present city
government to meet the demand of the
unemployed for work? These are ques-
tons which arise in the mind of every
sensible thinking citizen and those ques-
tons appeal to the humanity and reason
of every honest man. 1t is a shame and
H. H. a. oko oh rf
of an outrage to see over 1. 900 of our able
bodied fellow citizens vainly looking for
work to supply the bare necessities of
life, while ST ,OOO 900 is being expended
on works for an additional water supply,
which, if justice was done, should be suffi-
cient to give employment to every unem-
ployed laborer in the city.
Economy We must economic" Such
is the invariable answer which our city
solons make when questioned why the
present work on the water supply could
not be done under the supervision of ex-
perienced men employed by the city in
stead of by contract. Such ideas of econ
omy are absurd and nonsensical. To
preach or to practice such so called econ
omy is suicidal to the interests of the
workingmen of Waterbury, who are justly
entitled to have employment on whatever
taxpayers. The merchants of our city are
likewise defrauded, because the money
which our local laborers would earn on the
water works would be used for the pur-
chase of food, clothing and all other nee
essaries of life. How much money are
those out-of-town contractors and their
gangs of New York and transient laborers
spending in the city out of their earnings
on the water works? Perhaps some of
those wise economists who > lie awake
nights fretting for the poor taxpayers will
answer. How many landlords in this city
have the rents paid up, which are due by
the unemployed laborers who occupy their
tenements? Do the property holders of
this city imagine it would be detrimental
to their interests to employ home labor ?
Of course not.
Last Wednesday your correspondent
visited the pipe line in the vicinity of
Reynolds Bridge, and from there to the
main dam at the reservoir for the purpose
of seeing how many resident laborers of
Waterbury were employed, and also to
ascertain facts as to the amount of wages
paid to laborers by the different con-
tractors. James Farrell, well known Wa
terbury man, who is foreman laborer at the
main dam, stated that Mr. Gatfney (who is
the contractor) was then employing
twenty-three men, mostly Waterbury mel,
that Mr. Gaffney had for years in his en-
ploy. Martin Lipps & Brother, firm of
New York contractors, have large con-
tract for grading, pipe laying etc. This
contract adjoins the section near the Nc
Manus contract. On inquiring of one of
the workmen I was informed that Mr.
Lipps almost exclusively employs none but
Italian laborers direct from New York.
The work on the contract is performed
under the direction of three Italian fore
men. An italian also acts as timekeeper;
81 .25 per day is the wages paid. All the
food consumed by those laborers comes
direct from New York. My informant
also stated that saloon is in full blast,
but it is for the accommodation of the
laborers employed on the contract. It ap-
pears that Mr. Lipps furthers the interests
of New York Italian laborers in preference
to any other laborers. 1 was informed for
fact that this enterprising gentleman
prevailed on Thatcher, Knibbs & Co to
employ the surplus number of italian
laborers which he had on hand. Thatcher,
Knibbs & Co are fast following the exam
pie of Mr. Lipps in the employment of out
of town labo-ers.
Such are the men whom the water sup
ply committee are requesting to employ
Waterbury men. What humiliating
spectacle to see branch Of: our city gov
eminent going on its knees. so to speak, to
beg of such men as Contractor Lipps of
New York and others to give the poor
workipgmen of Waterbury employment
The water supply committee made a very
big blunder when they awarded nearly
5000, 900 worth of contracts without any
proviso that would compel contractors to
onrof 10 "n+a 1,1D
Mr. Gaffney, L believe, was made au ex-
ception of. but it seems ridiculous to ask
home contractor to do what the commit
tee would not bind out of town contractors
to perform.
Will the water supply committee award
the only remaining job, namely, the clean
ing out of the bed of the reservoir, to
some other contractor? Gentlemen it has
always been Engineer Cairns admonition
to you to have none but skilled contractors
perform the work. You have done so, SO
far. What is the result? How many
hundred thousand dollars more than you
at first calculated will it take to complete
the work? Your first calculation was that
$500, 900 would complete the job. At your
last meeting member of your committee
stated that 81 900, 900 was the sum which
would be spent before the work was COM
pleted. Out of this large sum of money
the laborers of the city ask you to give
them employment ere it all expended in
the employment of laborers who do not
belong to Waterbury or have never spent
one cent of their earnings in the city and
never will. The cleaning out of the bed
of the new reservoir is the next job to be
done. To have the work done thoroughly
it is not necessary to call on contractors to
make bids for the performance of the
work. 1t is very strange if the water sup
ply committee cannot employ honest, re-
liable men under whose supervision the
lnborers, who, through no fault of their
own. are at present walking the streets of
our city without one cent in their pockets,
and in many cases with scarcely enough to
eat. kelvin DRURY.