The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-12-01
LABOR'S ABUSES LAID BARE.
COMMISSIONERS FITZGERALD
FILES A REPORT.
Dishonest Street Contractors, Hard
Worked Laundry Girls, and a
Few Other Hardships.

People who are interested in the con-
ntion of the various laboring classes
OF California, especially in the COM
mon wage-earners, will find rev
points to entertain them in the bien-
NAL report of Labor Commissioners Fitz-
gerald, which is now in the Governor
possession.
Mr. Fitzgerald covers a great deal OF
space in his report, which, If bound
would resemble an unabridged diction-
airy, but as the conclusions from mass
Of data are more compact, an abrldg-
ment is possible. The following are
the chief themes covered in the report:
The free employment bureau system,
employment agencies, laws protecting
labor on public work, the collection OF
wages, an abuse of the lunch hour,
eight-hour law, Chinese labor on army
clothing. laundry abuses child labor,
Hawaiian labor, japanese in the beet
fields, common laborers work on the
streets of cities, and the question OF
legislation for the aid of the laboring
man..
1t is shown that there are a great
many abuses of serious character to
be corrected, and complaint is made
with which to carry on the work. 1t
appears that there was a free employ
ment bureau opened some time ago,
with about 81, 600, TO conduct it WITH
Mr.. Fitzgerald says he was able to get
employment for 1900 persons, at a
saving of SAC, 600 to them, which would
have gone to various employment agen-
cies. He favors the establishing Of a
~ C%n+
which is his last gun at the old Reddy
crowd, with which the Commissioner
grappled in vain in the last Legisla-
ture
If half of the abuses that have been
reported to the labor bureau concern
ing the way street contractors are in
the habit of swindling working men,
are true, there should be a severe law
making all contractors for public work
criminally responsible for their dis
honest conduct The record shows that
contractors for city street work often
fight one another bitterly for the vari-
Gus jobs that are let out. Labor is a.
great element in all such work. It is
the custom of many thieving Smiths to
take a contract at a low rate, then put
off the workmen with a mere fraction
of the agreed wages as long aa possible.
When driven to the wall the Smiths as
sign their contracts to the Jones, and
these deny all responsibility for the old
labor bills. Though the two, or even
more successive contractors are doubt
less in collision there seems to be no
way to get at the evidence of this fact,
or to stop the evil. Mr.. Fitzgerald sug-
gests that there should be law to hold
successive assignees responsible for all
prior labor bills. He also suggests that
there be a law to remit the costs in
courts wherever the wages of a COM
mon laborer are involved.
1t is said that the bureau has helped
to collect for laborers more than $780,
600 due on bad debts, and says that
there is great need for good law for
the protection of laboring people from
the ravages of band of swindlers
who thrive by beating laboring men out
of their wages.
The department found a great deal of
iniquity practiced as to driving men
SO hard in certain lines of business that
they are not allowed proper time to eat
their lunches. He found instances where
less than fifteen minutes were allowed
hands to eat at the noon hour This
causes the suggestion that there should
be a law compelling contractors and
others to allow their employees at least
ID minutes for lunch. In this connec-
ton it is recommended that there be
an eight-hour law applying to all work
done by the State.
The Federal Government is exon
Grated in the matter of the Chinese
labor that was done in soldiers uni
forms. It seemed from the investi-
cations made by Senators, Congress
men and others, as we'll as that made
Ivy the bureau, that the hiring of Chin
csc was without the knowledge of Gov
eminent officials and in plain violation
of the contracts under which they
agreed to make the uniforms.
1t was found that there is species
of white slavery in many of the steam
laundries of San Francisco. A num-
Der Of girls, some who struck for better
pay and shorter hours, testified that
they had to work from z a. m. until
9:15 p. m. daily. For this work they
got SO and board, which was by no
means very nourishing.
The Commissioner takes a parting
shot at the owners of various beet sugar
works. He reports that a large part
of the field work is done by japanese,
which he says is bad thing for the
State and for the white men seeking
employment.