The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-14
AFTER SW|NDL|NG AGENTS,
Labor Commissioner Fitz-
gerald Exposing Some of
Their Methods.
What a Deputy Learned by Apply
ing to His Establishment
for Work.

A crusade against the swindling employ
ment agencies of this City has been started
by Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald, ant
his invesgation of few of them revealed
to use his own words, "a most deplorablt
state of affairs"
What prompted Mr.. Fitzgerald to be par
ticularly energetic in an endeavor to sif
the employment agency system was let
ter he received from Governor William
Mckinley of Ohio, the substance of which
was:
Our free employment bureaus in Ohio have
served the double purpose OF providing the
unemployed with a reliable source of labor in.
telligence and driving out OF business large
number OF swindling institutions
AS our free employment bureaus became
known and trusted they became indispensable
to the poor country girls and thousands OF
their city sisters, besides, in guiding them
Alright, and preventing them from falling into
the hands OF INSCRIPTIONS villains.
This and much more came from one OF
tn e Nations best known officials, so Mr..
Fitzgerald concluded that it was time to
look into the business in this City And
the following are the results of his obser-
vations as he gave them yesterday:
The majority of these employment agencies
do not openly register all who apply to them
nor do they keep any complete record OF the
fees they collect Their methods of obtain
INDEPENDENTLY eXtorting-money from their
victims are numerous and various, and by i'm
posing fee for this imaginary service or that
fanc1ed oeneht they manage to get the hard
earned dollars of the applicants and keep
them.
1t is not the desire of this State Labor
Bureau 10 stigmatiZe any of those agen-
cles which may be doing an honest and
legitimate business. There are some-five,
have found = which are working in
conjunction with the Associated Charities
and other benevolent institutions, and these
are doing good work. but in the majority of
cases 1t is learned that, in order to make money
out OF the business, agencies have resorted to
the most reprehensible methods.
That such is undoubtedly fact is evidenced
by the great number of complaints that have
been made to the bureau in regard to certain
S. Morris, who was located at 12l Post street
IN rear room. The sign on the door stated
that inside was the Commercial Clerks In
formation Bureau"
Such books as he keeps show that he has
taken in almost $500, at least. this year, but
there is no record to show whether he has ever
obtained employment for any one. He also
conducts this business without a license.
will give you an idea of how we manage to
find out these things: One of our deputies
applied for a position, and was told he would
have to deposit 81 before he would be consid-
cred. But" said the deputy, ST have TO
money to spare; what guarantee can you give
me that will get position" "We have Sc
cured positions for over sixty in the past
month" was the reply; call clerical positions,
and mostly in the country. However, we do
great deal OF business in this City and Oak
land"
"What houses do you furnish help to?" asked
the deputy.
Murphy Grant & Co., Levi Strauss & Co. and
most OF the prominent firms here" the answer
came with bold assurance. sin Oakland we
furnish Salinger, Kahn Bros, Abrahamson and
others. None of these firms l mention would
hire you if you went there in person. They
would simply refer you back to me, as we 90
all their hiring of help. We investigate, the
references and they know they can depend on
cur sending reliable people"
This man used every possible argument to
wheedle the registration fee out OF the deputy
(Which incidentally he did not succeed in doing)
and the deputy left promising to call again
Now the fact of the matter was that TINS man
had not been to any one OF the business houses
mentioned.
Out of the twenty odd places. visited we
found that they claimed tc furnish employ
ment to an average of from $500 to 5000 per-
sons a month. That this is false and betrays
their dishonesty is evidenced by the vast army
of unemployed in this City. The basis OF their
dishonest methods consists of collision be-
tween the employ ment agent and the steward