The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-20
A CONTRACT LABOR QUESTION.
INSPECTOR sTAMPER INvEsTIGAT-
ING THE CASE OF c. PFAU.

gIr. Pfau Sent Here by the Antwerp
Naval stores Company TO Take d
Position in Their Savannah Office
Amdavits That He Came as the
Personal Representative of tho
Antwerp Naval stores Company
sent to the Treasury Department
Which Will Give the Case COnsid-
eratiOn-TwO Negroes From BarbR-
does Held for Investigation.
A case has just come up here which has
led to an inquiry to determine whether
there has been a violation of the United
States contract labor laws.
When the steamer Iris arrived on March
10 for cargo for the Antwerp Naval
Stores Company of Begun there came
upon it Mr.. C. Pfau, sent here by that COM
pany to take a position in its Savannah
office
The case was brought to the attention
of Inspector of Immigrants Stamper, who
was recently assigned to this district and
he has begun an investigation of it. The
question is as to whether there has been
a violation of the act of Feb. 26, 1885, which
prohibits the importation or migration of
foreigners or aliens into the United States
to perform any labor or service, under con-
tracts previously made with them The
act stipulates that all such contracts shall
be void provides penalty for violations
of the law and makes provision also for
returning to their country such aliens as
IN, vii or nf the law
While Mr. Pfau was not held under the
law. inquiries were made into the case.
Mr.. Herman Weibert, manager for the
Antwerp Naval Stores Company here,
placed the matter in the hands of Mr..
Charles n. West, who, after looking into
It himself came to the conclusion that
there had been no violation of the law,
on account of the fact that Mr.. Pfau
came to Savannah as the personal repre-
sentative of the Antwerp Naval Stores
Company sent here by them, or in other
words, he was sent over to represent a
foreign corporation.
Mr.. Stamper, in the line of his duty
however, 1t appearing that Mr.. Pfau had
come here to serve as a clerk, asked the
company for information and affdavits
with regard to the case, which have been
placed in his hands. In these afiidavits
1t is asserted that Mr.. Pau came here as
a personal representative of the Antwerp
Naval Stores Company, sent here by
them, not for any definite period, and
that he is subject to their orders to go or
stay as the company might decide, and
at any time. For these reasons 1t is held
that his coming here for the company is
not in violation of the contract labor
laws.
The matter, however, is one which the
treasury department must decide, and Mr..
Stamper has forwarded the atfidaVts Iur-
nished by the company and by MIR. Pau
himself. on the line stated, to the depart
ment at Washington. If the department
should decide that Mr.. Pfau's coming is in
violation of the law in question, he would,
of course, have TO be sent back to Ant
werp, unless other authorities should in
tervene Those interested in the case in
MIR. Pfaus behalf are so confident that
there has not been a violation of the law
that the matter would be very strongly
contested should the decision OF the de-
partment be against him.
Mr. Stamper is looking into several cases
of this kind. something to which hereto
fore no attention has been given in Ga-
vannah. He has been in the government
service as inspector of immigrants for a
good many years, having been located for
some time on the Canadian border just
before coming 10 Savannah.
Another case which came up yesterday
was that of a negro woman and her
daughter, who came from Barbados On
the British steamship Fulwell and who
are on their way to Sabine Pass, Tex.
There was considerable doubt in the mind
of the inspector as to whether they had
the right to land under the law, and they
have been detained on board the ship for
a few days for the investigation of the
case.