The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-26
HIRES MUTES To
MAKE TELEPHONES
Chicago Concern Employs
Skilled Mechanics Thus
Afflicted.

CHICAGO, Jan. 25.-What is the
status of the deaf mute workman in
the world Of organized labor?
The fact that in one manufacturing
plant in Chicago are employed more
men devoid of both speech and hearing
imam are engaged in any other single
factory in the country has brought this
question strongly before local labor
unions. Nearly 100 deaf mutes are en-
ployed in two big electrical factories.
BY strange coincidence the product
OF their labor is an instrument useless
to those without aural and vocal or
gans. For these deaf and speeches.
artisans make telephones.
CuriOusly, too, the factory that gives
employment to these afflicted persons is
devoted to the manufacture of tele-
phones which aim to do away with the
hello girls" 1t is the Automatic Elect
trio company's plant at Morgan and
West Van Buren, streets. Here nearly
sixty deaf mutes work side by side. In
the works of the Western Electric
company nineteen are employed to do
the same work. Together the two fac
tories furnish means Of livelihood to
majority of the deaf-mute popula-
ton of Chicago.
They are engaged in the assembling
rooms OF the two cOncernS-that is,
they gather the parts of telephone in
strUments together and construct them
into the familiar transmitters and re-
celVefS Oh commerce, use of which must
forever remain barred to the makers.
III the automatic electric works,
where the telephones to be used by the
Illinois Telegraph and Telephone COM
pany are being made preparatory for
the opening of that corporations tun-
mel system, the deaf and dumb persons
are given the preference in depart
ments In which speech and hearing is
not requisite for skill in the work.
man or the lack of these senses men
ace to his life, as in the machinery
rooms.
These workmen in the big Morgan
street factory hail from all parts Of the
country, having come to Chicago in
constantly increasing. numbers recently
owing to the unusual preference shown
Tor their services. Many of them were
trained in cabinet making and when a
number of cabinet factories shut down
In Michigan not long ago they came
to Chicago. When news of the influx
OF deaf mutes into. Chicago reached
local labor circles it was in the form
OF rumor that the Automatic Electric
company was trying to find solution
OF the labor problem by hiring men
who could not talk
The report was denied by officials of
the company. Manager Keith dis
cussed the unique situation in the fac
tory as follows:
The simple cause; Of cur having so
many deaf mutes in our shops is that
George Carter, the president Of the
Pas a Pas society, which is composed
of persons thus afflicted, has charge of
the assembling room of the factory
and as he is known by the silent ones
all over the country through his con-
nectlon with the mutes club they see
MN when out of employment. We find
them better Workrnen than good
many men who have all other senses.
They attend strictly to their own bust
ness.
When 1t comes to a choice between
GEAR ana dumb workingmen and half
grown boys whose tongues and ears
are IN perfect working order the hand
lcaPped men are favored. The boys
and young men play too much. For