Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-15
A WEEKLY PAY DAY
M SUGGESTION TO STOP LABORERS
FROM SELLING TIME.
superintendent Sloan Proposes IL
Fund to Pay the Needy Ms Soon
as They Have Earned
Their Money.

Superintendent of Streets Sloan suggests
a plan which, if adopted, will put Il stop
to the ubiquitous money lending system,
SO far as the street laborers and minor en-
ployes are concerned. He suggests an
emergency fund or a weekly pay day.
The Very general practice among the city
employees of selling their time 10 money
lenders for a commission has been gener-
ally condemned and steps have been taken
to put Il stop to the practice. But atten-
ton has been called only to clerks. etc.
while the cases of the street laborers and
minor employees have not been noticed. Yet
1t is Il fact that hundreds of these men
are obliged to seek aid from the brokers
simply because the city pay days are so
far apart.
The large majority of these men. and es-
pecially those who are employed upon the
| streets, are those who cannot wait for
two weeks to receive their money, rs they
are not men of means and have in most
cases neither provisions for their families
nor credit. 1t has been a general practice
among this class to so to the brokers and
obtain an advance upon what the city owes
them TO tide them over until they are paid.
w. NJ. Sloan, superintendent of streets,
says that the people do not realize the con-
dition i'll which a large number OF his
men are placed.
He says that the department is not al
lowed TO give their time certificates TO the
brokers: they can readily obtain any in
formation they desire in regard TO what is
due a certain man by looking over the
city books. which are accessible to any cit
izen who cares to look at them.
Now l don't think this is the way the
thing ought to be done" Mr.. Sloan said
yesterday. IF Il weekly pay day were
made for these laborers, there would be
no necessity for their doing this. But if a
weekly pay day is not practicable the city
ought to provide u way to give the needy
men their money. A fur could be placed
with the city treasurer for this purpose.
He could always have a fund on hand TO
pay the needy workmen whatever is due
them upon a proper certificate from the
department in which they work. The city
has it to pay anyway in two weeks time
or less and it would he a Godsend to the
men to be able to get the money they
need so badly without any discount.
Until some such plan is devised the SELL
MS u AliAA' - - apOAA AAbAiiN
of the men. If some of these people who
sit down in a warm room and c%riticise the
selling of time would get among the poor
fellows who have to do it, hey would do
less railing. But the thing which ought to
be done is the providing of a fund by the
city itself to take care of the needy work
men without forcing them to take a dis
count.
Frequently, they say, they have no coal
to keep their families from freezing or no
food for the next meal. 1 always employ
those whom ] think need the money the
worst. Most of the men thus employed
haven't 4 cent of money nor credit with
which to buy what they need. They can
not wait for the city payday, which comes
but twice Il month. They do not have
steady work, and Cannot arrange with q
merchant to be carried until payday. for
they cannot tell how much or how little
work they will get.
$50 when these men have from 81 to s.
coming to them, with their families in
want, they are glad to have their time
discounted to get ready money l think the
discount the brokers exact is much too
are willing to ak it to get the money for
their families. With the cash in hand
their wives can more than make up that
difference, too, in buying goods for less
than they would have to pay if it We're
possible for them to buy on credit.
Mr.. Sloan has little sympathy with those
employees who sell their time and then
evade payment by protesting an obligation
they have incurred.