El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-28
VII SHOE WORKERS.
THE UNIONS SECRETARY BEFORE
THE INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION.

The New anu the Old metnO0B In
the Trade-Thought the Hours OF
Labor Should BE to Six.
Horace NJ. Eaton, general secretary
and treasurer of the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union of America, was the
witness the other day before the indus
trial commission at Washington. The
jurisdiction of b union, he said, e.
tended over the United States and
Canada. While the organization pro-
vided strike assistance, it was made
Quate on account Of the low dues, and
it was his opinion that many strikes
had been lost because of lack of funds.
Referring to the Marlboro strike, he
said it had failed both from the en-
ployees' and employers standpoint.
The employees were worse off than be-
fore the strike. Wages were from %
to 80 per cent lower. The issue was
the recognition of the organization Of
the employees. The employers had de-
clined all proffers of arbitration, but
they offered to leave the questions at
issue to the ministers of the town. This
proposition was refused by the strik-
ers, and it subsequently developed,
Mr.. Eaton said, that eight out of nine
ministers of the town were against
the strikers. There We're about 5000
members of his organization, he said,
about half of whom were in New Eng
land.
Speaking of the conditions among
the boot and shoe laborers, he said
work was plentiful, but wages were
poor.
Eleven years ago, he said, he would
I--~ Ioon Ill " n,n on 40 70
$50 a week at lasting shoes. Now he
could not earn more thai S15. In eX-
PLANTATION he said that the reduction
in earning capacity in this branch of
the trade was due to the change in con-
ditions. Competition in the shoe trade
was fierce, and the manufacturers
were confronted with the alternative
of raising prices or lowering the quail
ty. In this connection he said tina the
shoe trade, regardless of party, regard
ed the duty on hides as Ubiquitous.
They did not regard free hides as in
imical to the interests Of the farmer.
They regarded hides as a byproduct
which benefited the packer and not the
farmer. The manufacturers did not
look upon free hides as a solution. 1t
was only one of the incidental aggra-
waiting things which went to raise the
cost of materials.
"Is the desire for free hides simply
another evidence of New England's
desire for free trade in raw materials
and high duties on manufactured prod
ucts?" asked Commissioner Kennedy.
81 have no opinion on that subject"
replied Mr.. Eaton; but, so far as the
business is concerned, it needs no
protection. We are able to produce
shoes in competition with the world.
We can undersell the English in their
home markets. But as arranged the
tariff discriminates against American
manufacturers. The duty on hides is
Is per cent, but when hides are tanned
and exported the duty is related. That
is to the interest of the foreign manu-
facturer."
The improvements in machinery, he
said, had resulted in shortening the
of labor. With the present
number of shoe plants the o neces
sary to supply the consumption can be
manufactured in four months. The
price of shoes a decreased. This
was not only due to improvement in
machinery and less labor cost, but to
improvement in tanning processes. If
the shoe manufacturers went int a.
trust, many of the shoe plants would
Town, and the laborerS thus
thrown out of employment would be
to bid against the others. A
shoe trust would be injurious to labor,
thought. He knew Of no shoe man
ufacturers who thought it possible to
effect a combination for h main
tenance Of prices and discounts.
Speaking of the change which had
taken place since the Introduction Of
Mr.. Eaton described the
In Lynn in the old days
when every man made a complete
The shoemakers were all indie
pendent, all politicians. Henry Wilson
was a shoemaker and said every shoe
maker in Lynn was fit to be a United
States senator. Now the hard, driving
work al a machine ave employees no
opportunity to exchange opinions, and
they became narrow necessarily. The
of child labor was also a
great evil. Socially the condition Of
the workmen could not compare with
the old days, and it was growing worse.
Conditions could be improved by the
establishment of stable prices for the
manufacturers. Som legislation was
necessary. He thought the hours of
should be shortened to six hours.
He said there could not be any great
in wages and shortening
of the hours of labor that the consum-
err would not pay for. Only 5 per cent
Of the shoe workers were organized.
The union hoped to be able to make
agreements with manufac-
turers. Some lac been made. In such
cases the shoes were stamped Union
and, if supported by other
unions, this movement would