The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-09
LOOKING FOR o
Result of a Test Made by n Mcmber
of a Charity Society.

Charities for August.
An interesting experiment was recently
made in Philadelphia for the purpose of
finding out whether or not men able to
work, and willing to turn their hands to
anything for fair pay, need be without en-
ployment in that city. 1t was made by Mr..
Benjamin c. Marsh, a fellow of the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, acting as an investi-
gator for the Philadelphia Society for Or
ganizing Charity. He went for part of a day
in search of work, dressed as an ordinary
labOring man, and records his experiences
as follows:
At z o'clock in the morning / approached
a foreman at the Belmont filtration plant,
one of the large filtration plants being put
in by the city, and stated hat l would take
anything to do. The foreman Immediately
offered me work to commence at once or the
next day, with the promise of some for my
brother if he would come. The contractor
also, not knowing the offer of the foreman,
promised me work in another place.
An hour later 1 applied at one of the large
shipyards at the other side of the city, and
was told that 1 could get work if / would
come at the regular hour for hiring men
next morning; they were hiring men right
along. AT an iron works within half a mile
of this shipyard a trial was also promised
me, to begin in a day or two, if / would be
willing to take rough manual work. The
boss helper at a factory in the outskirts of
the city looked me over, and upon my state
ment that L had fired for a regular furnace
for a couple of days he said he could give
me work the next morning and would fit me
in at something.
Then two of the large manufacturing COM
panies in the city were visited. and on stat
ing my case work was again promised.
Then at a contractors office, at one of the
railroad offices and along the Delaware
piers the same. appeal was made for work,
and in every case with success. In some in
stances the employment was not to begin
at once, but was omised me Monday, pos
sibly because il was thought unlucky to be-
gin work on a Friday. Some of the men who
hired stevedores on the wharves said they
were glad to get men at 20 cents an hour,
and they themselves were working fifteen
hours q day.
Back to the city, along the lire of a num-
Der Of establishments, work was promised
at two iron foundries and two chemical
works. At every place visited during the
day, except one. wages were to be $lO a
day, with a chance of getting more If L
could prove that l was worth it. In the one
instance / was to start In at $45 a month,
although my handwriting was a help to me
in securing this position. My appearance
was slightly against me, and to my state
ment that 1 had worked I'm a gas works
and on a farm in summer, statements quite
true, 1 was told that my hands looked as
though it were years ago. One foreman of
a very large manufacturing company said:
II will hire you, but 1 tell you frankly 1
am tired of hiring men like you, because in
my single department / hire about twenty
five men a week. and they work from two
hours to a day and leave. some of them too
lazy to come back for their pay"
AS a sequel, the next morning Mr.. Marsh
says he sent a number Of men professedly
eager for employment from the Wayfarers'
Lodge to these places, n then In a few
days wrote to the employers, giving the
names of the men and asking IL they had
applied for work and been given 1t. Several
of the employers replied that the men had
not put in an appearance. One man returned
saying that he had been promised work, but
did not have any place TO board-a difficult
ty which the foreman told me they could
arrange for.
From these experiences Mr.. Marsh con-
cludes that. having secured the promise of
seventeen jobs in eight hours, a man able
and willing to work can find it in Phila-
delphia or it's neighborhood. He adds that
one employment agency in the city told him
1t could place fifty men at work on farms
every day IL it could get them to take farm
work, but that men refuse TO leave the city,
even though they badly need work.