The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-07-24
NELLIE bly, ON TIL PULLMAN STRIKE.

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The New York World. promptly on
the Pullman strike, sent its versatile
staff correspondent, Nellie BLY,, to that
place to find out what she could rela-
tive to the situation in that storm GEN.
ter. The following are some Of the
facts she gathered:
TOO MUCH RED TAPE.
Another trouble" spoke up man
who had been listening, twas the
tyranny OF the bosses. We had too
many and they were incompetent.
There was too much red tape about the
whole concern. Mr.. Pullman was an
autocrat. He never came to Pullman
without from IL to 20 people at his heels
and no workman dared to speak to him.
We had to give complaints to boss and
he sent it up the line. until at last it
reached Mr.. Pullman, who couldn't see
how things could be helped anyway.
To put it roughly. the head of the dog
was too far from the tail"
II wish you would state my Gaze"
spoke another man. SIT has been
claimed by Mr.. Pullman that his work.
men were not required to live in Pull
man. l am what they call an inside
wood. fnisher. used to make 1925 a
day. and was cut to $1.40. Then l
roomed cottage for 81. then WAS laid
off. There was no work for ms. When
l asked why, the manager told me if |
would move back to Pullman would
not have to lose q days work. 1t was
aithay ocnunu a pr,llyrau hOuaa or do
without work."
II was also reduced" said new
conner, from So a day to $3.50. My
rent was So. SO, and at one pay day had
only been given Is days. work. After
they took out my rent had check for
one cent to live on for two weeks and
keep my wife and child"
THE COST OF vEsrIBULEs.
II am vestibuls builder" said man
who had spoken at the meeting. "You
know the vestibule of the Pullman cars.
l used to be paid sl2 and SIS previous
to the first quarter in 1893. Then l was
cut from SIS to SO. Perhaps you remem-
her seeing the worlds fair Pullman cars.
For the fret l received for vestibule
building $40, or s55 an end. We had
seven cuts during the time we were
building them, and for the last built
received $40, or $50 an end. Just the
same amount Of labor and time was put
on them, but that was the reduction
from $110 to $40"
A TAX ON GAS STOVES.
II wish to tell you, Miss Bly,, about
the gas" INTERCEPTED another man.
CONTRARY to the city ordinance govern
ing the price of gas, which places the
limit at 81 20 per 1000 feet, Mr.. Pullman
charges his workmen 81 %, and we were
notified that we could have gas at $l.75
per 1000 feet If we rented from the COM
pany a gas stove at 50 cents per month.
The gas stove is an ordinary one, with
two lids, costing at most rs cents for
stove, but we had to pay Mr.. Pullman
continually 30 cents month rent for
one in order to have our gas at S1.75 per
1000 feet instead OF 1925.
Don't forget the water tax" sug.
gssted a newcomer. "Mr. Pullman paid
cents and at the very smallest figuring
charged his people IA cents. | estimated
that over and above everything he
cleared annually on the water alone
S45, 000."
II don't think any department of
work had a worse reduction than mine.
and l'li give you a signed statement If
you want it," said another man. II
put washstands in the cars. Two years
ago for fitting ont car with wash
stands l got $3.50, and 1 was cut to
$2.70."
That's no worse than NINE" spoke
another, pressing forward. Il work at
general repairs; that lie, repairing cars.
used to get for repairing one car $3.50,
and | was cut to s65 a car. Mr.. Pull
man has made the statement that three
quarters of his work was contract. l
can swear that when the biggest and
heaviest cut was made it WAS all his
own work. / can swear to that, and
when the strike came on seven. eighths
of the work was his own"
STORIES ABOUT PULLMAN.
1.-THE biggest cut ever made in the
freight shops where 1 work." spoke
man solemnly, without seeing anything
funny in his statement, was the morn
ing after he went to hear Patti sing. He
paid $500 for box and the next morn
ing he cut his men $780,"
"Why, when he went to Florida with
his family-four of them" said another.
she paid $40 a day for their hotel board,
and he cut his men an average Of 10 per
cent in every department"
IL would like to make a suggestion"
said man from the rear of the crowd
that surrounded me. "Will you ex-
plain that we were supposed to do piece
work, but that in reality we did task
work like slaves. finished hunks. and
no matter how much work would do
in day, they would always cut my
wages down if I exceeded certain
average"
THAT is." explained another. "the
bosses would average how much money
it would take to do q job. Then the
men would have to 60 to work on it, and
if the bosses made mistake. which they
always did, the men would have to fin
ish the work without pay. That is, they
would get 30 much day until the esti-
mated amount was used, and then il the
work was not completed they had to 60
on and complete it for nothing. l know
men who worked seven extra days for
nothing on q car. The boss allowed go
much ior the car. Then he used to come
in and add and add and increase the
work. When the amount set aside for
| the work was used the men had to go on