The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-22
ALL STATESMEN ONCE
Shoe Worker Complains of
Modern Machinery.
MEN AT WORK7ALKED ONCE
But the Shoemaker Must
Now Stick to His Last

commission resumed its hearings today.
and Horace NJ Eaton. general secretary
OF the Boot ard Shoeshrdlushrdlunu
and treasurer of the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union of America, was the wit
| ness. The jurisdiction extends over 5000
/ operatives in the United States and Can
! ada. Speaking Of the conditions among
! the boot and shoe laborers, he said work
was plentiful but wages were poor. Elev-
en- years ago he would be able to earn
from SIS to s35 a week at lasting shoes;
now he could not earn more than SIS. He
said that the shoe trade, regardless of
party. regarded the duty on hides as in
iquitous. They did not regard free hides
as inimical to the interests of the farmer.
They regarded hides as a by-product
which benefited the packer and not the
farmer. The manufacturers did not look
upon free hides as a solution. It was
only one of the incidental aggregating
things which went to raise the cost Of
materials.
$50 far as the shoe business is con-
cerned," he said, sit needs no protec-
ton. We are able to produce shoes in
competition. with the world. We can
undersell the English in their home mar
kets. But as arranged the tariff dis
eliminates against American manufactur
ers. The duty on hides is 10 per cent
But when the hides are tanned and ex-
ported the duty is rebated. That is to
the interest Of the foreign manufac-
turer''
The improvements in machinery he |
said, had resulted in shortening the sea- |
sons of labor With the present number |
OF shoe plants the shoes necessary to |
supply the consumption can be manufac- |
tured in four months. The price of shoes
had decreased. This was not only due |
to Improvement in machinery and lesser
labor cost. but to improvements in tan
ming processes.
Speaking of the change which had TAX
en- place since the Introduction of ma
chinery, Mr.. Eaton described the condi-
tons in Lynn in the old days when
every man made a complete shoe. The
shoemakers were all independent, all poll
iticians. Henry Wilson was a shoemak-
er and said every shoemaker in Lynn was
t to be United States senator. Now,
the hard, driving work at a machine gave
employees no opportunity to exchange
opinions9 and they became narrow, nee
essarily.
The employment of child labor was
also a great evil. Socially the conditions
Of the workmen could not compare with
the old days, and it was growing worse.
He thought the hours of labor should
be shortened to six hours. He said there
could not ,be any great Improvement in
wages and shortening of hours Of labor
that the consumer would pay for. Only
per cent of the shoe workers were or
ganized. Mr.. Eaton expressed the opin-
ion that alien labor had broken down
wages in New England, although in the
shoe business the proportion of foreign
workers was not over 10 per cent. He
would feel more interest in restrictive leg
islation. he said. If he had any conf
dence that immigration laws would be
enforced. He thought the provision Of
the constitution of Massachusetts requir-
ing towns to support, maintain and en-
ploy those unable to support themselves
should be enforced He did not think
antitrust agitation would benefit the la
boring men. Campaigns might be won
or lost on the issue, but the tendency was
toward concentration. The only thing
which could be done, he thought, was to
regulate and curtail some of the special
privileges great aggregations of capital
enjoyed.
William Hallen of Brooklyn, member
Of the Knights of Labor. testified that
he had been instrumental in the organiza-
ton of the protective labor which fav-
ored a restriction of immigration. He
favored restriction on economic grounds.
Most of the aliens underbid American
labor and did not assimilate with the
people Of this country. He produced fig
ures to show that foreigners returning
home or sending money home took out
Of the country Sis, o00. 900 each year. The
Lodge bill was not severe enough. He
favored complete exclusion. and If he
could have his way would even expeI
some Of those who were here.
Any y SuYY