Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-22
the SHOE BUSINESS.
Horace n. Eaton Before Industrial Commits.
sion o" Conditions in New England.


washington Sept. 21.-The industrial
commission resumed its hearings. to-
uaS' anu horace NJ. Eaton, general
anu treasurer of the Boot and
ohoe workers Union of America. was
the witness. The Jurisdiction of the
union, ne said extended over the rnI-
ted States and Canada. While The AL
ganization provided strike assistance a.
was inadequate on account of tn Low,
dues it was his opinion MANY st,iI,,s
had been lost because Of lack az funds
Referring to the Marlboro strike ~
said ii had failed both from the cro-
ployes' and the employers staudnoipt
The employees were worse off than no
fore the strike. Wages were from "a
to 80 per cent. lower. The issue was
the recognition Of the organization Of
the employees. The employers had de-
clined all prefers of arbitration but
they offered to leave the question at
issue to the ministers of The town This
proposition, was refused by the strikers
and it subsequently developed Mr. Ea-
ton said, that eight out of the nine min
listers in the town were against the
strikers. There We're about 5000 mem
=
half of whom were in New England.
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
able TO earn from SIS to $35 a week at
tasting shoes, now he could not earn
more than So. The reduction in earn
ing capacity in this branch Of the trade
was due to the change in conditions.
Competition in the shoe trade was
herce and the manufacturers were con-
fronted with the alternative of raising
prices or lowering the quality. The
shoe trade regardless Of party regarded
the duty on hides as iniqutous. They
did not regard free hides as inimical to
the interests of the farmer. They re-
garded hides as by-product which
benefited the packer and not the farm
or. The manufacturers did not look
upon free hides as a solution 1t was
only one of the incidental aggrevating
things which went to raise the cost of
materials.
Speaking Of the change which had
taken place since the introduction Of
machinery. Mr. Eaton described the
conditions in Lynn in the old days
when every man made q complete shoe.
The Shoemakers We're all independent;
all politicians. Henry Wilson was q
shoemaker ana said every shoemaker
in Lynn was fit to be United States
senator. Now the hard. driving work
at machine gave employees no oppor-
tunity to exchange opinions and they
became narrow, necessarily. The en-
plOyment Of child labor was also q
great evil. Socially the conditions of
the workmen could not compare with
the old days. and it was growing worse
Conditions could not be improved by
the establishment Of stable prices for
the manufacturers. He thought the
hours of labor should be shortened to
six hours.
Mr.. Eaton expressed the opinion that
alien labor had broken down wages in
New England. although in the shoe
business the proportion Of foreign born
workers was not over Is per cent.
VIM. ii. Allen of Brooklyn. a mem
Der of the knights Of Labor. was heard
at the afternoon session on the subject
Of immigration.