The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-04
Wages On the Sacramento River
Steamers Cut Five Cents
an Hour.
THE POLICE WERE CALLED IN.
There Was No Distur bance, but Trouble
May Be Expected al Any
Time.

The longshoremen on Jackson street
wharf had an inning yesterday morn
ing. Month after month and year
after year they have worked for the same
old wage, but when the bosses proposed a
cut Of cents an hour and proceeded to
enforce it the men arose in their wrath
and called 'strike."
The farmers were the principal sufferers,
as the product brought down By the
steamers was late in getting to market
and the commission merchants lost many
& commission owing 10 the fruit and
vegetables being many hours behind
time.
When the river steamers Onward,
Aurora and Sonoma, got in from the Sacra-
mento River yesterday there was the usual
rush of longshoremen to get jobs in I'M
loading the vessels. Hundreds of tons of
freight were aboard and every man on
hand anticipated at least five hours work
MS at 30 cents an hour would have
Melted them enough TO pay their way. but
late was against them.
The company instead of EMPLOYING
longshoremen lad decided upon giving
Jobs to an extra number OF regular men on
Inc steamers and thus curtailing the ex-
penses on the wharf. Accordingly when
the Aurora, Onward and Sonoma got in
and the longshoremen asked for work they
were told mat % cents an hour was the
regular wage. An argument ensued and
Tor time trouble was imminent. Ser
Reant Mahoney and Officer Dover of the
Harbor Police and Sergeant Hayes and
Officers Cords and Abernethey OF The State
police were soon on the scene and at once
cleared the wharf. The crews OF the va
rious steamers proceeded TO land the pro-
OuCe. INT II naariW q II a Ia ffrf baF
ket and the commission merchants were
more than angry in consequence.
Sergeants Mahoney and Hayes showed
remarkable executive ability in handling
crowd that a word might have turned
rlotous.
1T simply amounts to this said one of
the Iongshoremen yesterday. 1--WE can
make living or we can beg. | have not
been IN San Francisco very long, but |
don. want 10 ask favor from any man.
II l can earn bread and butter by the
sweat OF my brow l am willing TO do il.
Night after night l have come down to
JackSon-street wharf and waited patiently
until the river steamers got in. Some
times II would be A. NJ. and sometimes
hours later. Sometimes | would be taken
on at 30 cents an hour and sometimes
would not. If l made 81 80 week | con-
sIdered myself lucky and if it was only
50 thanked God tnat it was enough to
Then this morning came the cut to 25
cents an hour. Consider for an instant.
Not one OF US gets more than four hours
Work day on an average, and that means
20 cents out Of our pockets and that much
more in the pouch OF the monopoly. OF
course We kicked, but then what can Won
90. My stomach will be empty in the
morning, and 1 suppose / and dozens of
others Will only be too glad to 20 back
at the cut rates. Hunger soon brings a
man 10 time"
This is the first time in the history of
the Sacramento River steamers that a cut
has been made in the wages of the long
shoremen. For years it has been the Gus
tom 10 cut the salaries OF the deckhands S.
during the winter months, restoring them
When the rush began. This rule has never
worked well, and small strikes occurred
Oh the boats whenever the reduction was
made. On this occasion the men did n OF
say word, and even went willingly to
Work discharglng the steamers when the
longshoremen refused TO work.
We are simply changing our plans. +"
sald aptaln Nelson of the California
transportation Company yesterday. 1--WE
hnd that our force of oeckhands on each
steamer is too small to handle the sum
mer freight on the river. We are increas-
ing tue stan on each boat, and OF course
tbere Will not be so much for the LONG,
shoremen here to do. During the rush of
course we will require extra men, and we
Will guarantee them 81 so for six hours or
not less than five hours work ANYTHING
over SIX hours work will be paid at a
special rate 1t has been stated that the
commission men paid the rate demanded
by the longshoremen in order to get their
goods off the steamers. This is absolutely
false, as every ounce of merchandise was
removed by our deckhands. We are able
10 handle our vessels under any clrcum-
stances, and we propose TO do SO. Nv the
proposed change we will give just SO many
more men permanent employ ment, and in
the long run no one will suffer and many
will be benefited"
In the meantime the arrival of the
Scoekton steamers will be anxiously looked
Tor this morning, and a full force of har-
Dor and State police will be on hand nj
Jackson-stFeet wharf to keep the peace.