Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-02

ME&.. Indn any Cllg VI ~ OANN
- States, and its working men are
better organized than those of Europe. /
have spent some time studying the labor
situation, and l find that these people can
give us pointers on many subjects.
Soochow is one Of the labor centers OF
the Chinese empire. 1t Is bigger than Bos-
ton proper, and 1t has ten suburban towns
Of large size where Boston has one. There
are 5000, 900 people living within a radius
of thirty miles of 1t, and these are huddled
together in a hundred cities which range In
size from a few thousand to a hundred
thousand, and In about one hundred thou
sand villages and hamlets.
The whole country is a beehive Of work.
It makes all kinds of silks. satins and cot
tons, as we'll as manufactures OF iron, wood,
horn and glass. Within the last five years
great cotton and silk mills have grown VI
about It. These are worked by modern
machinery, but the most of the labor Is
still engaged in house industry and In little
factories employing about a dozen hands.
There are more than 100, 900 people making
embroidery alone, and the Soochow Weav-
ers' guild has altogether 1000 looms. There
is a large fur business, a fan business and
an enormous establishment In which the
Soochow bath tubs are made. In all, 1t is
said that every one OF the $50 trades known
in China is carried on here, and nearly
every trade has its union.
They strike ON short Notice.
The Soochow ~workingmen are noted
among the Chinese for their independence.
They will strike on short notice and on
slight provocation. They have already had
some of the most remarkable strikes OF the
empire. 1t was here that the Gold Beaters'
union bit an employer to death some years
ago, and It was here that one Of the mag
istrates who opposed the workingmen had
his ears bitten of.
The gold beaters' case is the more re-
markable In that 1t arose out Of an order
for gold leaf issued by the emperor of
China. His majesty WINS anxious to have
the gold leaf on short notice, and a gold
leaf capitalist who had a factory at 500
chow got leave from the authorities there
to take on more apprentices than the rules
Of the union permitted. These rules pro-
vlded that an employer could engage only
one new apprentice at a time, but this man
employed a large number, whereupon tn
men struck. They gathered at the factor!
to the number OF 1923, and there waited fol
their employer. Before this they had helC
a consultation, during which they had as
sured themselves that there was no law II
China making biting to death a capital of
Tense. AS soon as the employer came il
the men fell upon him and each took a bit,
out of his person. Every one was require,
to join in the execution, and those who frs
bit were stationed at the door to see tina
every man leaving had lips and gums GOV
cred with blood. The employer died in
very short time. The union men who com
mitted the crime were arrested and tried
but only the one who took 'le first Bit
was beheaded.
The above was a case in which an EN-
ployer was punished. The members VIII
break the rules of their unions are ais
severely dealt with. Fines are common
but manning and killing are not unknown
Only a few weeks ago a man was foun
under a bundle Of straw at the new dock
opposite Shanghai. His eyes had bee
gouged out and laid in a basin beside hin
He had been thus treated because he ha
broken the order of his union, which ha
boycotted the docks and forbidden all wor
upon them.
An instance is known OF a cooper WI
was ordered to work at lower wages tina
those required by his guild. The ord,
came from the magistrate and II could u,
well be disobeyed. but this workman C,
on his right hand and came with the blee,
ing stump before the magistrate and d,