The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-20
OUR new YORK LETTER
THE WAR HAS MADE THE SEASON
BUSY FOR GARMENT WORKERS.

Some Bankers Think the Stamp Tax ON
Checks = Good Thing-How the Drum
mere, Fffers and Bugiers Driii-visiting
Camp Black on Hampstead Plains.
NEW YORK, May 20.-[Special There
IS some of the usual kicking among the
tailors and other garment workers this
spring about the sweatshop system and
the oppression of the contractors, but not
so much "a usual because OF the extra
work the war with Spain has thrown into
their hands.
According TO Henry White, the business
agent of the United Garment Workers In
New York, many thousands of uniforms
have already been put out, with many
moro TO follow. This has naturally kept
the ball rolling with much greater regu-
larity and steadiness i'm the trade than
usual and may carry the season over with
out a strike. The cutting of all these uni
forms h done in Philadelphia under the
direct supervision of the government, but
the cut goods are sent TO this city and 9TH
er clothing centers for manufacture, and
the result is, of course good, fair amount
of work everywhere.
! Mr.. White thinks it would not be hard
this season TO do away with the contract
system altogether should the rush of gov
eminent work continue, though no definite
plan of procedure TO that end seems yet to
have been agreed upon. In general way
it may be stated, however, that efforts Will
be made to bring about the much to be de-
sired result by such peaceful means as
demonstrating to the manufactures that
Il r
ably both to themselves and to the work
ingmen by getting rid of the contractors
altogether and sharing their middle
mems" profits with the work people. A
good deal depends upon the attitude of tho
cutters in this matter. They are perhaps
the best organized of all the trades afliliat-
ed with the United Garment Workers and
are doing better even than the operators,
filters, fnishers ct al
Stamps ON Bank Checks.
"The notion of putting a stamp tax on
bank checks forethe purpose OF helping TO
raise the war revenue appeals to me with
a good deal of force, said the cashier of a
bank i'm one of the outlying boroughs of
the Greater New York to me today. 1T
will reduce the number of checks and con-
sequently the volume of clerical work to
be done in the banks enormously. Our
bank is not large one, and many or our
deposits are small. Yet so common has
the habit of paying every little tuppenny
bill with check become that we have TO
handle from 300 to 500 checks in day.
One dollar and 50 checks are common and
checks for a few cents not at all unusual.
The thing has got TO be a nuisance, yet
we can't afford TO make afuss about 1t, tor
a surprisingly large number of banks, in
Guiding some of the big ones, put up with
it without murmur and to protest would
be to drive our depositors TO other institu-
tions.
Il suppose the plan used when bank
checks were stamped before-that is, OF
stamping the checks in blank before they
are received by the depositors, will be fol-
lowed out This will make it necessary
for each depositor TO lay down 81 to pay
for stamps every time he procures check
book, and the drawing of checks for petty
amounts will soon be discontinued by
most depositors.
Drilling the Drummer Boys.
Not much has been said about the en-
listment of drummer boys SO far, but the
percentage of such enlistments seems to
have been quite as big since volunteering
for the war with Spain began as 1t was in
the sixties for the war with the south.
1t is not SO easy for a boy to enroll him
self in the musicians corps now as 1t was
then, however, the regulations with regard
to musicians being quite as rigidiy en-
forced as with regard to soldiers The Old
Guard allowed none under Is to enlist,
Lafayette post accepted few of 10 or Ia,
but in each case more care was taken TO
Il. of Iafa
parents than in the sixties. Not all the
musicians are to be drummers of course.
The fife still holds its place in American
military music, whatever may DO its fate
in British and European armies, and the
bugle remains.
Many of the enlisted musicians are with.
out much knowledge of the instruments
they are to play and accordingly there is a
lot of SO called musical drill at Camp
Black, out ON Long Island, as there prob
ably is at every camp in the land. AT
Camp Black this drill seems to be going
on continuously, to judge from the ceaseless
rub-a -dub-dub of the drums, the constant
tootle te-tootling of the bugles and the
| persistent squealing of the flies. Most OF
| this practicing is done on remote parts OF
| the now famous Hampstead plains, how
| ever, and, muffled by the distance, is rath
, err pleasant than otherwise In spite OF III
monotony.
New Workers and Camp Black.
New Workers go to Camp Black in mum
+, bers every day of the week. On SATURDAY
last, which was a fine day, they went II
great trainloads, and the visitors would
have numbered many tens Of thousands OF
Sunday had the good weather continued
The temper of the men seems not to hav
been injured in the least by the days ant
days of rain nor have they suffered II
health from exposure, the number OF cold
among them being smaller probably thar
among similar number OF men living IL
houses instead of tents after week or tw
Of nearly continuous downpour.
One of the most noticeable features Q
Camp Black is furnished by the extremei
efficient policing of the grounds, neatnes
| 81 tri,,,poca haipu the order everywhere