Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-06

hled IN this office against the Merchants
Transfer and Storage Company on street
between Ninth and Tenth streets, The
complainants are not the patrons of the con-
Germ but their employees who. many of them
married men, are compelled to work for the
most meager wages and submit 10 fines and
deductions IN the Dittauce allowed them.
There are some twenty o. thirty drivers of
the company's wagons and from each driver
one dollar per week of his wages is retained
70 be paid him on discharge, if everything
else is all right Twenty-Five cents per
week is also retained TO insure the company
against loss breakage or short change
This twenty-five cents each week per man
is not returned, but goes into the company's
strong Golfers
The wages paid these drivers are on a
sliding scale reaching maximum Of eight
dollars per week and a minimum of seven
dollars Thus the sum Of one dollar ralse
is held out to the new beginner as a Turing
bait TO his ambition to rise in the world
Commenciug at 81 per week the employe
of the Merchants Transfer and Storage
Company receives exactly s5.75 weekly, ST.
being retained as his bond to ensure the
faithful performance Of his duty and IS
cents to make whole the company for loss
in either a few pennies shortage in the re-
turns or bteakage Of any article in handling
A month or twos steady and irreproachable
ryi ce will earn promotion to the maximum
Of IS weekly, less SI25, as Aforesaid. A
married man, considering the high prices Of
living commodities in Washington, has an
exhilar9tug time making both ends meet,
unless he lives in a tent, a Salvation Army
barracks or a ballooul He can certainly pay
but little If any rent as It will take the max
imum salary OF s67s to support himself
and wife II he has children the kids
must wear waist belts 10 prevent alb,
dominal Drotuberance Aud vet these nf.
fortunate, hard working and houest men
would make no kick or complaint did the
company exact no further deductions on
that s6.75 per week But in the company
Mr. Saks has stock and big say Hence
the men must wear uniforms and the
Messrs. Saks must be palronzed for the
same. simple blue serge suit costing
S13 and which by careful wear will last
couple of months, is the uniform which has
heretofore been worn by tile employees
The past week Mr. T K Newbold ssued
his ukase that the employees must wear
corduroy suits for the summer-that is If
they last until summer-and to have them
selves immediately measured for the same
1t Is just two months since Messrs Saks
sold driver QpQnnsll his $r3 suit and its
wearer stole around to the GLoBE Office
after dark for fear of being arrested as
tramp so dilapidated is his suit of blue"
When O'Dounell was ordered to measure
up for a suit of corduroy he kicked He
had only just got through paying for the
tfetaff nf hftsaTg grtI 0 H.,
tatters. He dismissed himself from the lob
aud asked for his s. retention money
having served the big hearted corporatfoyf-
Just eight weeks. Mr. NewbOld advised
him to call around in the course of a month
not under thirty days-for his weekly
dollar bond or retention money Aud there
the matter rests while, no doubt, O'Donnell
will be compelled 70 take to the woods and
hide his uakeduess.
Washington is the last place on earth for
a poor lwhite) man out of a Government
job. In almost any other city on earth he
can Ind something to do at living wages.
The system upon which the Merchants
Transfer and Storage Company does busi-
ness with its employees, docking them for
breakage Gin addition TO the weekly twenty
five cents makes it a mathematical GER
tainty that married man can scarcely
support himself much less a wife and chill
dreu on such wages
The company's horses have two men to
feed and groom them. The drivers assert
h at he oats IS counted by the grain, and
that the horses are tied up SO short at night
the poor animals cannot lie down But il
IS all right with the Society for the Preven-
ton of Cruelty to Animals, as several EN-.
AL rnf Anssae
and Storage Company's premises their
resting and recreation place. For instance
one driver who had a lame horse he was
working instead of being arrested, or the
Storage Company summoned as would be
the case with anybody else, he was gently
advised 10 return the horse 10 the barn
The two men who are up all night clean
ing the stables feeding aud grooming the
horses do the best they can, but naturally
having cleaned OF groomed the horse they
prevent it from again sOiling its skin by
lying down, hence il is hitched up short
and allowed to doze standing up. All OF
which is respectfully called to the attention
Of the Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty
10 Animals. Having no such society for the
prevention of cruelty and enforced starva
ion to the human animals worked by the
o.NP"nJ az RO'5o PSl week Win el3 oakS
suit OF every two or three months aud
charges for breakage, etc, we submit the
acts as affoTding a lovely text for the
'everend gentlemen occupying pulpits this
iprinR Sunday morning upon which to build
powerful exhortations on the superiority OF
Christian civilization and the prosperity
which this country is so signally favored
With by divine grace and the consent OF
he Republican Administration.