Evening star., 1899-03-15

vice president for two years, and before
that was a bottle blower for fifteen years.
Mr.. Hayes is young man, and showed an
intelligent knowledge of conditions in the
industry he represented.
Mr.. Hayes said that previously there was
less reason used in contests between bottle
blowers and their employers. Today, he
said, the workers and employers meet and
consider questions of wages and agree on
schedules and other conditions. He did not
anticipate that there would be another
strike in his trade, because the blowers
and employers had substituted reason for
bluff in their negotiations.
Results of Organization.
There We're $3.50 bottle blowers in the
association represented by the witness, the
whole number of blowers in the United
States being 400. A small proportion of
this whole number he said, work for from
80 to 80 per cent less than received by
members of the association, and also are
paid in store orders. This was especially
the case in New Jersey. The trouble that
confronted the organized bottle blowers
was the existence of this unorganiZed labor,
and they were confronted by the necessity
in the future of getting these men in the
organization or riskin2 an attack on their
own wages. He said the organization he
represented has fund of $l00,U00 with
which to support a strike should one take
place, but the association made only rea-
sonable claims in relation to wages, and
the employers knew that the association
could back up such demands. He believed
the time of the strike was rapidly pass
ing away. Under some conditions, he said,
d strike is desirable. A strike based on
just demands, he said, always paid, If not
in actual increase of wages, at least in
preventing a further reduction. The bot
tie blowers had once had their wages in
creased through a strike, and by their as
sociation they had prevented reduction
He had never heard of a voluntary in
crease of wages among the employers of
glass blowers.
Imported From Europe.
Glass blowers are imported to this coun-
try from Germany, Sweden and Norway.
They come in two three at a time and
go to work in non-union factory as step
toward getting in the Glass Blowers Asso-
citation. and the association was frequently
Obliged to take these men in in order to
protect themselves and get them in union
factories. They had also written to the
bottle blowers unions of Europe, telling
them that there are plenty of boetle blow
ers in this country to supply the trade, and
that if they come here they will have TO
GO to work in non-union factory. Still,
as late the last year bottle blowers
had got in this country at the indirect in
stigation of employers. and the association
here had not been able to keep them out.
In south New Jersey. Mr.. Hayes said.
bottle blowers never a dollar from the
beginning to the end of the year. These
men sign agreement when they go to
work to the effect that their store
bill may be deducted from their wages
The amount of the store bill and the
wages were equal so that the man
never saw dollar. The legislature of New
Jersey had passed a law requiring cash
payments. but they excepted farmers and
others from its operation, and no one be-
Eeved it would be operative. as il would be
class legislation.
Wages Lower Than for Twenty Years.
Mr. Hayes said that wages of bottleblow-
today are lower than they were twenty
years ago. Now they earn an average
wage of SD q week for ten months in
year and frequently for few seven
months. Previous to twenty years they had
better wages and worked more time during
the year. The life of bottle blower twen-
ty years ago was easier, and he could work
until sixty years of age. TIE work has be-
come more irksome. and today the blower
does twice the work they did at the previous
period, and blower cannot hope to
work after he is forty-five years old, at
which age his usefulness a glass blower
ceases. There are today, he said, more ad
vantageS of society to be enjoyed by the
blowers. but the character of their work
and life prevents them from the enjoyment
of these advantages. When the panic came
over the country, he said. the blowers
agreed to reduction of Il, 20 and 45 per
cent OH different classes of work They
We're promised by the manufa cturers that
when the panic was over and the tariff had
been restored they would give them back
the 10 per cent reduced at that time Both
these things had been accom- molished but
the restoration Of wages had not been Sc
cured. The blowers Were still working to
secure the restoration.
Tenement House Abuse.
Mr.. Hayes said the employers tenement
houses were the greatest abuse of labor he
knew of. In south New Jersey, he said,
the glass blowers live in their employers
tenements and deal at their employers
stores, and these facts constitute a club
which the employer HOLDS over the head
of the blower in case he should go on a
strike. He had known apprentices getting
married at eighteen years of age because
of pressure on the part of their employers
to have them occupy a tenement and deal
at a store He had himself been discharged
at one time because being an unmarried
man, he had refused to occupy a tenement
at $12 a month. lie said his observation
Taught hlm that these tenements are not
Mt places for self-respecting man to live
in.
The witness said his association believed
in absolutely restricting immigration for
country, he said. caused them to believe
that such action is necessary.
He said the glass trade had been free
from machinery until two years ago
About that time machines for making fruit
jars had been introduced. In one place in
Indiana 2I3 men had been employed MAX
ing glass jars. Now machines had been put
in for that work and only 73 men were
employed and the wages of fruit jar blow
ers had been cut down 45 per cent In all
500 men had been put out of work in this
way. Additional difficulty was found be-
cause in late years all glass blowers are
specialists each being able to blow but
one class of bottle. He did not want it un-
derstood that his association was opposed
to machinery, but merely to say that ma
chinery did put men out of work and re-
duce their wages. A fruit glass machine
could. with the attendance of one man and
boy, do the work of three men.
The reduction in the hours of labor Mr.
Hayes said. was the only blessing he could
think of for laboring men as a whole In
America.