Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-31

an exclusive claim on the work of keep
ing the streets of the Quaker city clean
Yet. since this work Is allotted by con
tract. and no Italian Is engaged unless HI
Is a member of a certain organization
THAT Il controlled by the bosses. the pa
drone system shows it's hand here also
The bosses send large numbers of labor.
trs to the fruit farms OF New Jersey, Del.
aware and Maryland In the summer. The
Italian colony OF Boston Is above 15.oN in
numbers. That the padrone system Their.
Is Intensive has long been known. Bosses
supply nearly all there is OF unskilied
italian labor to the railroads and for the
multitude of contract jobs In cities and
towns of Massachusetts. The census o.
f~oreign-born Italians living in his coun-
try to be Isl. $50. Since July /. 1890. more
than $4,000 immigrants nave arrived a,
the port of New York.
Italian laborers are swindled out OF
their savings wholesale by s~o-called
banks. OF which there are about $50 in
New York city alone. Probably not one
of them has legal status under the bank
ing laws of the state. When an ALA
cannot find anything else to do he starts
q bank. No capital Is required. Not long
ago a man who had just fitted up such a
bank sent a pitiful appeal to a friend
requesting a a of SO. as ne had no
money to buy food with. Tn Italian
banks are shabby little affairs. run in
rants. grocery stores. macaroni factories.
beer saloons and cigar shops. Some of
them try to attract attention by a dis
play in the windows of American cur
rency. italian notes and a few gold
pieces. along with worthless duplicate
Gratis. old express receipts and Confed-
erate money. Having thus got ready for
business. the banker goes out among the
people who come from his part of Italy
and solicits their patronage.
me functions OF the Italian banker are
remarkably varied. He takes care of the
savings of his customers and sends tueir
money to Italy. also he writes their let
!erS. acts as their postoffice. becomes
their adviser in almost all things, and
neips 10 procure employment for them.
For a compensation he will act as a mar
rage broker. On turning over his dol
iars to the bank. the laborer does not
get n regular receipt. much less a bank
book. but "a slip of paper on which the
sum deposited is written. After several
deposits and withdrawals have been
made It commonly happens that the fig
urlng OF the banker does not agree with
mat OF the customer. Since the latter is
usually unable to read, it is easy for the
banker to persuade him that he is mis-
not TO reach its destination; the banker
blames the postoffice. or says that the
snip carrying the mails has ~foundered.
,Ihe banker does not give any ex-
change He keeps that for himself and
as the present rate is about fourteen per
cent, reaps a neat profit. He sends the
money mtrusted to him by ,p%ostoffice or
ger. The laborer could do this himself if
ne only knew how. The banker pays no
interest. and is very apt to fail to pay the
capital or demand If a fuss is made.
ne compromises for a small sum. MANY
italian bankers have nc other purpose in
doing business than to wait until thew
nave accumulated large deposits by offer
recently during eight months fourteen
Italian bankers ran away from New
York; two of them took with them over
*5O,VO In workmen'S wages. No effort
was made to find them. The Italian
banker Is closely allied with the padrona
or boSs; in fact, the banks may properly
De called padrone banks.-Rene Bache. in
Boston Transcript.