The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-11

circulated a petition which was signed
by every prominent man in town. This
petition was sent to the water board,
accompanied by a similar petition sign
ed by a hundred Italian laborers. The
contractors commissary was complain
ed of, and the water board was asked
to abate the nuisance. After a dreary
wait, the association received a letter
signed by Secretary Davenport. The
letter said that the board had insert
ed clause in its contracts providing
that the labGrers should be paid in
money, and that they would be pleased
to receive evidence of violation Of this
clause.
Mr.. Tate said to a representative Of
The Spy this afternoon: There is little
duli in my mind but that by taking
the Decesare matter in time, we can
make out clean case against the con-
tractors commisSary. OF course No.
$50 and the other human numerals
must stick to their stories. The trouble
is that when the pinch comes, they
may not.
Some of the italians know that 1 am
bitterly opposed to the plan OF hiring
men and making them buy of the COM
pany store. When they have been
discharged for not buying of the con-
tractors man, they have come to me
n
later when / have been ready to have
one of them tell his story where it
would do some good h. either could not
be found, or would be re-employed and
no longer desire tc talk.
These !aborers come with nothing, or
next to nothing. The contractor
boards them ana they buy their sup
plies of him or of one of his agents
They are pai6 only once a month.
When pay day &C mes. they are in 1t
deep. The few dollars they draw out
as surplus, as the extra frugal do,
is less than half of what it ought to
be if the men lived on a similar scale,
as in the shanties, and bought their
supplies in the CHEAPEST market.
II shall talk with Decesare and with
the men he represents If their stories
hold water 1 will do my best to have
the commissary abated. l will do my
best to see that charges are made to
the water board. The board should be
taken at its word, and given proof of
what it is not willing or able to see for
itself. Massachusetts, is no darkest
Africa. 1t may do in Africa to hire
men and pay them in groceries at dou-
BILE market prices, but it ought not to
go here"
Decesare has been to Chief Bates. He
was accompanied by Nos. $50, POS, IT'S
and 81. They told the chief, through
Decesare the same story that was
printed in The Spy. The business men
of Clinton are anxious to get a whack
at the commissary plan of doing bust
ness. 1t does not please them to see
men who earn only $3.50 a day COM
PEELED to pay cents pound for SUI
gar, 90 cents a pound for an inferior
grade of cheese, 20 cents a pound for
salt pork. and for other things in pro-
portion, on pain of dismissal The
story printed in The Spy was much
read here. 1t is hoped that it may have
a lasting result
When Mr.. Tate finished there was a
discussion which lasted for two hours
Former Town Treasurer J. +. Harrity
appeared as champion of the metropoi-
tan water board. He said the story
as related by the Italians, as related
in The Spy, was not true. and he OPP
posed the association taking action in
the matter.
The association took action. however
by appointing committee of one to in
vestigate. The result of the investiga-
ton will determine the association as