The San Francisco call., 1896-05-14
ABUSE OF T|ME-CHECKS,
Labor Commissioner FITZGERALD
After a Big Lumber
Company.
Charges That It Is Practically De.
frauding Its Employees Out of
Their Wages.

The attention of Labor Commissioner
Fitzgerald has been called to the abuse of
the time-check system in vogue in nearly
every logging. numbering and contracting
camp in the State. Within the past two
days facts have been presented to him
that make Immediate action on his part
necessary, funds or no funds.
Complaints of serious character are
being constantly received at the Labor
Bureau of the manner in which the Union
Lumber Company of Fort Bragg is treat
ing the men in its logging-camps in Men
docino County. The last was received
yesterday from a laborer, Joseph Brien,
who has just returned from the camp.
His sworn affidavit as to the treatment he
received fully explains the injustices prac-
ticed under the time-card system. He
stated under oath as follows:
SAN Francisco. MAY IS. 1896.
/ make statement here that was sent up to
Mendocino County TO work for the Union LIm-
N lies from Fort Bragg. / was told would get
$50 per month and found. got the lob on
April 3, 1896. L left Mission-street wharf that
same afternoon and went TO work the morning
OF April B. never left camp for full month
and worked every day that they would allow
me during that time. On the morning OF Nav
3, 1896, l asked and received my time-check
drew $3 worth of goods ON the store dur
ing my months stay, and that amount was de-
Quoted from the check. The clerk informed
me that / could haye the check cashed at the
com pany's store in Fort Bragg. ! accordingly
presented my check at the store in Fort Bragg
and in return received tax receipts amounting
10 So 80.
That was all received for my months work
The company only pays out a time-check once
every three months and then each man has to
send the same TO San Francisco at his own
expense and is obliged to wait sixty days
longer before he gets any returns. If he does
not wish to wait he can sell his check at Fort
Bragg at 10 cents discount on the dollar All
this is not told you at the employment office
or the fact that you must wait five months
before you get any pay, or that the work itself
is very dangerous and that many men get
killed and crippled every year; myself know
of four men getting seriously hurt and one
getting killed outright in one week.
The Fort Bragg Advocate Of the 4th
inst. contains an article substantiating in
general the foregoing facts. The Rock
port correspondent to that paper writes:
With regard to Rockport would say there
is very little inducement for any self-respect-
ing man to come here, unless he is willing to
leave ell his earnings in the company's saloon
and store at prices that would make '49er
blush. Should anything of his earnings es-
cape the rapacity OF storekeeper or saloon
keeper he receives a siXty-day draft on the
18th of each month. This he can take home
and frame and hang it up TO remind him of all
the hard licks be put in to acquire it, for it is
about as negotiable as Confederate green
back, without possessing any value as a his
toric relic.
Deputy Dam telegraphed to the main
office in this City for an explanation, but
received no satisfaction. The Labor Com
missioner will present to the next Legis-
lature bill to abolish the time-check sys-
tenn, corporation-store system and COM
pelling employers to pay in cash the cost
of labor at stated times.